mop

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
mop1

▶noun

• 1 an implement consisting of a bundle of thick loose strings or a sponge attached to a handle, used for wiping floors.

  ■ an act of wiping with a mop.

• 2 a thick mass of disordered hair.

▶verb (mops, mopping, mopped)

• 1 wipe or soak up liquid from.

  ■ wipe (something) away from a surface.

• 2 (mop something up) complete or put an end to something by dealing with the remaining parts.

– derivatives
moppy adjective.

– origin C15: perh. ult. rel. to L. mappa ‘napkin’.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
mop2

▶noun Brit. historical an autumn fair or gathering at which farmhands and servants were hired.

– origin C17: prob. from the practice at the fair whereby a mop was carried by a maidservant seeking employment.