lappet

American  

[lap-it] / ˈlæp ɪt /

noun

1. a small lap, flap, or loosely hanging part, especially of a garment or headdress.

2. a projecting, lobelike structure in certain invertebrate animals.

3. Ornithology. a wattle or other fleshy process on a bird's head.

4. Textiles.

   1. a rack or bar containing needles, situated at the front of the reed, and used in the production of figured patterns.

   2. an ornamented fabric produced by lappet weaving.

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lappet British  

/ ˈlæpɪt /

noun

1. a small hanging flap or piece of lace, etc, such as one dangling from a headdress

2. zoology a lobelike hanging structure, such as the wattle on a bird's head

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Other Word Forms

• lappeted adjective

Etymology

Origin of lappet

First recorded in 1565–75; lap ¹ + -et

Example Sentences

Crocodile fish: As the species lurks around sandy ocean floors, the iris lappet, or lacey covering drooping over its eye, obscures the pupil and improves fish’s overall camouflage.

From Scientific American • May 19, 2021

She went up to him, put her hand on the lappet of his coat and shook her head.

From The Vicar of Bullhampton by Trollope, Anthony

The President took him familiarly by the lappet of his coat, and drew him to the bay-window.

From Maximina by Palacio Valdés, Armando

He had silver buckles to his shoes, and a tiny opal breast-pin on the lappet of his coat, where the white flower goes at weddings.

From Oswald Bastable and Others by Brock, C. E. (Charles Edmund)

You have had too good a time, and now the devil has got hold of you by the lappet.

From The Undying Past by Sudermann, Hermann