flap

      English

      Etymology

      Middle English flappe (“slap”)

      Pronunciation

      Noun

      flap (plural flaps)

      1. Anything broad and flexible that hangs loose, or that is attached by one side or end and is easily moved.
        a flap of a garment
        The envelope flap seemed curiously wrinkled.
        • 1998 October, Robert H. Mohlenbrock, “Twin Peaks”, Natural History, volume 107, number 8, page 73: 
          The hairs guide the pollinating insect to the base of the petal, where there is a purplish nectary covered by a flap of tissue.
      2. A hinged leaf, as of a table or shutter.
      3. An upset, stir, scandal or controversy
        The comment caused quite a flap in the newspapers.
      4. The motion of anything broad and loose, or a stroke or sound made with it.
        the flap of a sail; the flap of a wing
      5. A disease in the lips of horses.
      6. (aviation) A hinged surface on the trailing edge of the wings of an aeroplane.
      7. (surgery) A piece of tissue incompletely detached from the body, as an intermediate stage of plastic surgery.
      8. (slang) Vagina.

      Synonyms

      Translations

      flap of a garment
      furniture flap / hinged leaf
      upset / stir
      flap of wings etc
      disease of a horse's lips
      concerning an aeroplane
      surgical tissue
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      See also

      Verb

      Domestic pigeons flap their wings

      flap (third-person singular simple present flaps, present participle flapping, simple past and past participle flapped)

      1. (transitive) To move (something broad and loose) back and forth.
        The crow slowly flapped its wings.
        • 2004, Robert Jordan, New Spring, page 316:
          He could be flapping his tongue about you right this minute to anybody who'll bloody listen.
      An Australian flag flaps in the wind
      1. (intransitive) To move loosely back and forth.
        The flag flapped in the breeze.
        • 2011 September 29, Tom Rostance, “Stoke 2 - 1 Besiktas”, BBC Sport:
          Former Turkey goalkeeper Rustu Recber flapped at his first Delap throw but was given a soft free-kick by referee Antony Gautier.

      Translations

      to move (something broad and loose} back and forth
      to move loosely back and forth

      Derived terms

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      Dutch

      Noun

      flap m (plural flappen, diminutive flapje)

      1. flap (something flexible that is loose)
      2. (colloquial) banknote

      Derived terms

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      Last modified on 13 June 2013, at 16:26