slap

Pronunciation

• IPA: /slæp/^[1]

Etymology

It is of imitative origin,^[2][3][4] similar to Low German slapp, a blow, and German Schlappe.^[2][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A smart blow, especially with the open hand: about 1450 as slappe,^[6] the mid-15th century in Etymonline;^[2] 1648 in the OED, which doubts earlier instances.^[7]

Semantic evolution

The verb, to strike with the open hand, is from the late 15th century.^[2] The adverb, suddenly, is from the 1670s, and directly from 1829 (slap in the middle).^[2][5] The figurative sense, an insult or rebuke, is attested by 1736^[2] (a slap in the face).^[8] Slap and tickle, playful amorous activity, is by 1915.^[2] Slapdash is from the 17th century,^[4] and slap-happy from 1936.^[2] To put something somewhere carelessly or quickly (slap on some paint) is by 1836.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1450 – a blow with the hand.^[6]
• late 15th century – to slap (verb).^[2]
• 1670s – suddenly (adverb).^[2]
• 1736 – an insult.^[2]
• 1915 – slap and tickle.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A sharp blow with the open hand or something flat; a smack.
2. The sound of such a blow.
3. A sharp insult or rebuke: a slap in the face.

Verb

1. To strike with the open hand or something flat.
2. To put somewhere quickly or carelessly: to slap on paint.

Adverb

1. (informal) Directly and with force: slap in the middle.

Word family

• slapper
• slaphappy
• backslap
• slapdash
• slapstick
• unslapped
• slap-up
• slap-bang

Related words

• smack

Usage notes

Merriam-Webster records a separate slap, a gap or opening, as in a wall, from Middle Dutch slop.^[5]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
7. ^ Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins