nappy1
/ˈnapi
/noun (plural nappies) British
A piece of towelling or other absorbent material wrapped round a baby’s bottom and between its legs to absorb and retain urine and faeces: he is busy making bottles and changing dirty nappies disposable nappies...
- Dress your baby in a nappy, vest and Babygro for sleeping.
- I now have greater respect for the women of yesteryear who didn't use disposable nappies but the towelling ones.
- Bring the bottom edge of the nappy up between your baby's legs.
Synonyms
North American diaper
British dated napkin
Scottish & Northern English hippen
Origin
1920s: abbreviation of napkin.
Rhymes
nappy2
/ˈnapi/adjective (nappier, nappiest) US informal
(Of a black person’s hair) frizzy.‘She just wanted to know what nappy hair felt like,’ my mom complained all the way home....
- These were the dark-skinned folk with nappy hair.
- Well, let me take my nappy hair and get out of here.
Origin
Late 15th century (in the sense 'shaggy'): from Middle Dutch noppigh, Middle Low German noppich, from noppe (see nap2). The current sense dates from the early 20th century.