Clap
/klæp/noun
To strike the palms together to make a sharp sound, or to strike or place something suddenly.
Did you know?English clap is an old sound-symbolic word, and its cousins across Germanic languages show how humans independently turned a sharp impact into a word for sudden striking.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*klapp-
“to strike, thump, or make a sharp noise”
Old English
OE
clæppan
“to clap, beat, or strike together”
Middle English
ME
clappen
“to strike together; to make a sudden sound”
Modern English
English
clap
“to strike the hands together or make a sharp sound”