Slap
/slæp/noun
To strike with the open hand or a flat object.
Did you know?English borrowed the sound-pattern of slap from a Germanic family of sharp impact-words, showing how some of the most physical words in language are born from imitation rather than abstract meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*slebh-
“to be slippery, to smear”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*slappōną
“to slap, strike with a flat object”
Middle English
English
slappen
“to strike or beat with the hand”
16th Century
English
slap
“a sharp blow with the open hand”
Modern English
English
slap
“to strike with the open hand or a flat object”