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Question 1 of 7
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Origin of tap

1
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb tappen, tap, probably imitative; noun derivative of the verb

OTHER WORDS FROM tap

tap·pa·ble, adjectiveun·tap·pa·ble, adjective

Other definitions for tap (2 of 2)

tap2
[ tap ]
/ tæp /

noun
verb (used with object), tapped, tap·ping.
Verb Phrases

Origin of tap

2
First recorded before 1050; Middle English noun tap(pe), tape, Old English tæppa “tapered plug used as a stopper for a cask”; cognate with Dutch tap, Old High German zapfo, Old Norse tappi; Middle English verb tappen, Old English tæppian; cognate with Middle Low German, Middle Dutch tappen, German zapfen, Old Norse tappa

OTHER WORDS FROM tap

tap·pa·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tap in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tap (1 of 3)

tap1
/ (tæp) /

verb taps, tapping or tapped
noun
See also taps

Derived forms of tap

tappable, adjective

Word Origin for tap

C13 tappen, probably from Old French taper, of Germanic origin; related to Middle Low German tappen to pluck, Swedish dialect täpa to tap

British Dictionary definitions for tap (2 of 3)

tap2
/ (tæp) /

noun
verb taps, tapping or tapped (tr)

Derived forms of tap

tappable, adjective

Word Origin for tap

Old English tæppa; related to Old Norse tappi tap, Old High German zapfo

British Dictionary definitions for tap (3 of 3)

tap3
/ (tæp) /

noun, verb
a Scot word for top 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with tap

tap

see on tap.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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