pap

¹

[ pap ]

noun

1. soft food for infants or invalids, as bread soaked in water or milk.
2. an idea, talk, book, or the like, lacking substance or real value.

   Synonyms: twaddle, balderdash, drivel

pap

²

[ pap ]

noun

, Chiefly Dialect.

1. a teat; nipple.
2. something resembling a teat or nipple.

pap

¹

/ pæp /

noun

1. dialect.
   a nipple or teat
2. 1. something resembling a breast or nipple, such as (formerly) one of a pair of rounded hilltops
   2. ( capital as part of a name )

      the Pap of Glencoe

pap

²

/ pæp /

noun

1. any soft or semiliquid food, such as bread softened with milk, esp for babies or invalids; mash
2. porridge made from maize
3. worthless or oversimplified ideas; drivel

   intellectual pap

pap

³

/ pæp /

verb

1. (of the paparazzi) to follow and photograph (a famous person)

Other Words From

• paplike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pap¹

1400–50; late Middle English; a nursery word akin to Dutch pap, German Pappe, Latin, Italian pappa

Origin of pap²

1150–1200; Middle English pappe; compare dialectal Norwegian, Swedish pappe, Latin papilla ( papilla ), Lithuanian pãpas, all from a base *pap- ; akin to pap ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of pap¹

C12: of Scandinavian origin, imitative of a sucking sound; compare Latin papilla nipple, Sanskrit pippalaka

Origin of pap²

C15: from Middle Low German pappe, via Medieval Latin from Latin pappāre to eat; compare Dutch pap, Italian pappa

Origin of pap³

C20: from paparazzo

Example Sentences

The sport’s devotees even have a term for the mix: “border paps.”

From Seattle Times

She also couldn’t complete pap smear exams and she found penetrative sex to be painful.

From Los Angeles Times

“I knew paps were tipped off because the car I was in was never used before … so how was I followed ???” she asked at the time.

From Los Angeles Times

Rules on how the "paps" can operate vary from country to country and from state to state in the U.S.

From Reuters

It will affect a long list of preventive care services, he said, including services like screenings for heart disease, pap smears and tobacco cessation services.

From New York Times