Lapsus
/ˈlɑːp.səs/noun
A slip, lapse, or error, especially in speech or writing.
Did you know?In Latin, *lapsus* was the past participle of *labi* (“to slip, slide, fall”), so the word’s core image is physical motion losing control before it becomes a mental or verbal error.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*lebʰ-
“to move softly, to slip or slide”
Latin
Latin
labi
“to slip, slide, fall”
Latin
Latin
lapsus
“having slipped; a slip, fall, or error”
Late Latin
Latin
lapsus
“a mistake or moral failing”
Middle English
English
lapse
“a slip, error, or temporary failure”
Modern English
English
lapsus
“a slip of the tongue, pen, or memory”