elapse

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   of time: to pass or go by

   Several minutes elapsed before the backup generator started.

Simplified etymology

Elapse, recorded from the late 16th century, comes from the same Latin root as lapse: labi “to glide, slip, or fall.”

From Middle French elapser, from Latin elapsus, the past participle of elabi ("to slip or glide away"). Elabi combines e- ("out, away") with labi ("to glide, slip"), giving the modern image of time slipping away.

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External links

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