nappy

¹ American  

[nap-ee] / ˈnæp i /

noun

Chiefly Scot.

1. liquor, especially ale.

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nappy ² American  

[nap-ee] / ˈnæp i /

Or nappie

noun

• nappies
  plural

1. a small shallow dish, usually round and often of glass, with a flat bottom and sloping sides, for serving food.

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nappy ³ American  

[nap-ee] / ˈnæp i /

adjective

nappier, nappiest

1. Sometimes Offensive. (especially of a Black person's hair) tightly curled; kinky.

2. covered with nap; downy.

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nappy ⁴ American  

[nap-ee] / ˈnæp i /

noun

British.

• nappies
  plural

1. a diaper.

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nappy ¹ British  

/ ˈnæpɪ /

adjective

1. having a nap; downy; fuzzy

2. 1. having a head; frothy

   2. strong or heady

3. dialect slightly intoxicated; tipsy

4. (of a horse) jumpy or irritable; nervy

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noun

1. any strong alcoholic drink, esp heady beer

nappy ² British  

/ ˈnæpɪ /

noun

1. Also called: napkin. US and Canadian name: diaper. a piece of soft material, esp towelling or a disposable material, wrapped around a baby in order to absorb its urine and excrement

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nappiness
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• nappies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of nappy¹

First recorded in 1425–75; origin uncertain; probably from late Middle English noppi; see nap ², -y ¹

Origin of nappy²

First recorded in 1730–35; Middle English nap, Old English hnæpf, hnæp “cup, bowl” (further origin uncertain) + -y ²

Origin of nappy³

First recorded in 1490–1500; nap ² + -y ¹

Origin of nappy⁴

First recorded in 1925–30; nap(kin) + -y ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nappy nappies nappiest

"Nurseries have these apps and I was able to look through and see that he'd changed my child's nappy, there were pictures with him in the background," she said.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

“You also see the outside: baby’s dirty nappy or Margo’s ordinary knickers or track pants, all the unglamorous and unsexy things.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026

Kearns continued: "The child was completely dry. They had a nappy in situ, which appeared to be appropriately placed."

From BBC ● May 5, 2026

"Big brands are incentivised to optimise costs, but in most cases there's no incentive for brands to pay much attention to the recyclability of the nappy."

From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026

Even though she came to the door wearing the nappy pink robe and carrying a plastic razor, we could tell that she was in better shape than the day before.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

Kavita Kaur Dhillon and her husband Karvinder run the Handsworth Baby and Family Bank on Soho Road, which provides free items including nappies, baby formula, clothes and toys.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

“At the end of the day, I’m just changing nappies, figuring out who has a fever and doing laundry.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Due to food choice being limited at the larder, Matthew said he mainly used it for nappies, toilet roll, shampoo and some food for himself.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

I was lucky because I was there for my son’s first year — I didn’t have any Radiohead, so I changed the first nappies, and I loved it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

“We just run out of milk powder, and we got nothing else to give her. And we need more nappies, the throwaway ones. Anything babies need, really. And medicine.”

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman

O, born beneath the Fishes' sign, Of constellations happiest, May he somewhere with Walton dine, May Horace send him Massic wine, And Burns Scotch drink,—the nappiest!

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 18, No. 105, July 1866 by Various

Oh, born beneath the Fishes' sign,   Of constellations happiest, May he somewhere with Walton dine, May Horace send him Massic wine,   And Burns Scotch drink, the nappiest!

From The Complete Poetical Works of James Russell Lowell by James Russell Lowell

Related Words

• diaper