pap

C2 Topic:Family & Relationships

US /pæp/ UK /pæp/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like pop /æ/ vs /ɑ/ Sounds like pep /ɛ/ vs /æ/

Freq #18865

Meanings

1

noun
US dialect: father; pa

Pap had not been seen in town for more than a year.
2

noun
soft or semi-liquid food, especially food prepared for an infant

The baby was fed a warm pap made from bread and milk.
3

noun
worthless, bland, or oversimplified ideas or entertainment

The article dismissed the program as sentimental pap.
4

noun
archaic: a breast or nipple

The old anatomical description refers to a swelling beneath the left pap.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · us dialect: father; pa father pa dad

2 noun · soft or semi-liquid food,... soft foodporridgepablum

3 noun · worthless, bland, or... pablumnonsense drivel

4 noun · archaic: a breast or nipple nipple breast

Word family

Derived forms pappy

Related forms papa porridge papilla

Etymology

The father sense is a childlike shortening related to papa. The food and anatomical senses come through Middle English pap or pappe, probably from infant-directed or imitative speech for soft food and the breast; the figurative sense extends bland infant food to insubstantial ideas.

Topics

Family & Relationships

External links

# pap

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /pæp/
**IPA (UK):** /pæp/
**Frequency rank:** 18865

## Meanings
1. US dialect: father; pa
2. soft or semi-liquid food, especially food prepared for an infant
3. worthless, bland, or oversimplified ideas or entertainment
4. archaic: a breast or nipple

## Examples
- Pap had not been seen in town for more than a year.
- The baby was fed a warm pap made from bread and milk.
- The article dismissed the program as sentimental pap.
- The old anatomical description refers to a swelling beneath the left pap.

## Synonyms
- father
- pa
- soft food
- pablum
- nonsense
- nipple

## Derived Forms
- pappy

## Related Forms
- papa
- porridge
- papilla

## Etymology
The father sense is a childlike shortening related to papa. The food and anatomical senses come through Middle English pap or pappe, probably from infant-directed or imitative speech for soft food and the breast; the figurative sense extends bland infant food to insubstantial ideas.

## Topics
- Family & Relationships

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