laps

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
lap1

▶noun

• 1 the flat area between the waist and knees of a seated person.

• 2 archaic a hanging flap on a garment or a saddle.

– phrases
fall (or drop) into someone's lap be acquired by or happen to someone without any effort.
in someone's lap as someone's responsibility.
in the lap of the gods open to chance.
in the lap of luxury in conditions of great comfort and wealth.

– derivatives
lapful noun (pl. lapfuls).

– origin OE læppa (orig. in the sense ‘fold, flap’, later meaning the front of a skirt when held up to carry something), of Gmc origin.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
lap2

▶noun

• 1 one circuit of a track or racetrack.

• 2 a part of a journey.

• 3 an overlapping or projecting part.

  ■ the amount by which one thing overlaps or covers a part of another.

• 4 a single turn of rope, thread, or cable round a drum or reel.

  ■ a layer or sheet of cotton or wool, wound on a roller during manufacture.

• 5 a rotating abrasive disc for polishing gems, metal, and optical glass.

▶verb (laps, lapping, lapped)

• 1 overtake (a competitor in a race) to become one or more laps ahead.

• 2 (lap someone/thing in) literary enfold someone or something protectively in.

• 3 project beyond or overlap.

• 4 polish with a lap.

– origin ME: from lap1.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
lap3

▶verb (laps, lapping, lapped)

• 1 (of an animal) take up (liquid) with the tongue.

• 2 (lap something up) accept something with obvious pleasure.

• 3 (of water) wash against with a gentle rippling sound.

▶noun the action of water lapping.

– origin OE lapian, of Gmc origin.