lapsus

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lāpsus. Doublet of lapse.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlæpsəs/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

lapsus (plural lapsus)

1. A slip, lapse, or error.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:error

Related terms

• lapsi
• lapsus auris
• lapsus calami
• lapsus digiti
• lapsus digitorum
• lapsus linguae
• lapsus memoriae
• lapsus muris
• lapsus oculi
• lapsus plumae

Further reading

• “lapsus”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• Alsups

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lapsus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈlap.sus]

Noun

lapsus m (invariable)

1. lapse

   Synonym: errada

Further reading

• “lapsus”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “lapsus”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “lapsus” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “lapsus” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lapsus (“slip”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlapsus]

Noun

lapsus m inan

1. (informal) lapse

Declension

Declension of lapsus (hard masculine inanimate foreign)

	singular	plural
nominative	lapsus	lapsy, lapsusy
genitive	lapsu, lapsusu	lapsů, lapsusů
dative	lapsu, lapsusu	lapsům, lapsusům
accusative	lapsus	lapsy, lapsusy
vocative	lapse, lapsuse	lapsy, lapsusy
locative	lapsu, lapsusu	lapsech, lapsusech
instrumental	lapsem, lapsusem	lapsy, lapsusy

Related terms

Related terms

• kolabovat
• kolaps
• labilní
• labilita
• relaps

Further reading

• “lapsus”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “lapsus”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “lapsus”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lāpsus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɑpsus/, [ˈlɑ̝ps̠us̠]
• Rhymes: -ɑpsus
• Syllabification^(key): lap‧sus
• Hyphenation^(key): lap‧sus

Noun

lapsus

1. lapsus, slip, lapse, error

Declension

Inflection of lapsus (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)
nominative		lapsus	lapsukset
genitive		lapsuksen	lapsusten lapsuksien
partitive		lapsusta	lapsuksia
illative		lapsukseen	lapsuksiin
		singular	plural
nominative		lapsus	lapsukset
accusative	nom.	lapsus	lapsukset
	gen.	lapsuksen
genitive		lapsuksen	lapsusten lapsuksien
partitive		lapsusta	lapsuksia
inessive		lapsuksessa	lapsuksissa
elative		lapsuksesta	lapsuksista
illative		lapsukseen	lapsuksiin
adessive		lapsuksella	lapsuksilla
ablative		lapsukselta	lapsuksilta
allative		lapsukselle	lapsuksille
essive		lapsuksena	lapsuksina
translative		lapsukseksi	lapsuksiksi
abessive		lapsuksetta	lapsuksitta
instructive		—	lapsuksin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of lapsus (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative lapsukseni lapsukseni accusative nom. lapsukseni lapsukseni gen. lapsukseni genitive lapsukseni lapsusteni lapsuksieni partitive lapsustani lapsuksiani inessive lapsuksessani lapsuksissani elative lapsuksestani lapsuksistani illative lapsukseeni lapsuksiini adessive lapsuksellani lapsuksillani ablative lapsukseltani lapsuksiltani allative lapsukselleni lapsuksilleni essive lapsuksenani lapsuksinani translative lapsuksekseni lapsuksikseni abessive lapsuksettani lapsuksittani instructive — — comitative — lapsuksineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative lapsuksesi lapsuksesi accusative nom. lapsuksesi lapsuksesi gen. lapsuksesi genitive lapsuksesi lapsustesi lapsuksiesi partitive lapsustasi lapsuksiasi inessive lapsuksessasi lapsuksissasi elative lapsuksestasi lapsuksistasi illative lapsukseesi lapsuksiisi adessive lapsuksellasi lapsuksillasi ablative lapsukseltasi lapsuksiltasi allative lapsuksellesi lapsuksillesi essive lapsuksenasi lapsuksinasi translative lapsukseksesi lapsuksiksesi abessive lapsuksettasi lapsuksittasi instructive — — comitative — lapsuksinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative lapsuksemme lapsuksemme accusative nom. lapsuksemme lapsuksemme gen. lapsuksemme genitive lapsuksemme lapsustemme lapsuksiemme partitive lapsustamme lapsuksiamme inessive lapsuksessamme lapsuksissamme elative lapsuksestamme lapsuksistamme illative lapsukseemme lapsuksiimme adessive lapsuksellamme lapsuksillamme ablative lapsukseltamme lapsuksiltamme allative lapsuksellemme lapsuksillemme essive lapsuksenamme lapsuksinamme translative lapsukseksemme lapsuksiksemme abessive lapsuksettamme lapsuksittamme instructive — — comitative — lapsuksinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative lapsuksenne lapsuksenne accusative nom. lapsuksenne lapsuksenne gen. lapsuksenne genitive lapsuksenne lapsustenne lapsuksienne partitive lapsustanne lapsuksianne inessive lapsuksessanne lapsuksissanne elative lapsuksestanne lapsuksistanne illative lapsukseenne lapsuksiinne adessive lapsuksellanne lapsuksillanne ablative lapsukseltanne lapsuksiltanne allative lapsuksellenne lapsuksillenne essive lapsuksenanne lapsuksinanne translative lapsukseksenne lapsuksiksenne abessive lapsuksettanne lapsuksittanne instructive — — comitative — lapsuksinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative lapsuksensa lapsuksensa accusative nom. lapsuksensa lapsuksensa gen. lapsuksensa genitive lapsuksensa lapsustensa lapsuksiensa partitive lapsustaan lapsustansa lapsuksiaan lapsuksiansa inessive lapsuksessaan lapsuksessansa lapsuksissaan lapsuksissansa elative lapsuksestaan lapsuksestansa lapsuksistaan lapsuksistansa illative lapsukseensa lapsuksiinsa adessive lapsuksellaan lapsuksellansa lapsuksillaan lapsuksillansa ablative lapsukseltaan lapsukseltansa lapsuksiltaan lapsuksiltansa allative lapsukselleen lapsuksellensa lapsuksilleen lapsuksillensa essive lapsuksenaan lapsuksenansa lapsuksinaan lapsuksinansa translative lapsuksekseen lapsukseksensa lapsuksikseen lapsuksiksensa abessive lapsuksettaan lapsuksettansa lapsuksittaan lapsuksittansa instructive — — comitative — lapsuksineen lapsuksinensa

Further reading

• “lapsus”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

Anagrams

• plussa

French

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin lapsus. Doublet of laps, another borrowing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lap.sys/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Noun

lapsus m (invariable)

1. lapsus

Derived terms

• lapsus révélateur

Further reading

• “lapsus”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Icelandic

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lapsus.

Noun

lapsus m

1. (informal) flaw, fault

   Synonym: galli

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Ingrian

Etymology

From lapse- (“child”) +‎ -us. Akin to Finnish lapsuus.

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈlɑpsus/, [ˈɫɑps̠ŭz̠]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈlɑpsus/, [ˈɫɑpʃuʒ̥]
• Rhymes: -ɑpsus
• Hyphenation: lap‧sus

Noun

lapsus (uncountable)

1. childhood

Declension

Declension of lapsus (type 2/oikehus, no gradation)
	singular	plural
nominative	lapsus	—
genitive	lapsuen	—
partitive	lapsutta	—
illative	lapsuee	—
inessive	lapsuees	—
elative	lapsuest	—
allative	lapsuelle	—
adessive	lapsueel	—
ablative	lapsuelt	—
translative	lapsueks	—
essive	lapsuenna, lapsueen	—
exessive1)	lapsuent	—
1) obsolete *) the accusative corresponds with either the genitive (sg) or nominative (pl) **) the comitative is formed by adding the suffix -ka? or -kä? to the genitive.

References

• V. I. Junus (1936), Iƶoran Keelen Grammatikka‎, Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 57
• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971), Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 249

Italian

Etymology

From Latin lāpsus.

Noun

lapsus m (invariable)

1. slip of the tongue

Derived terms

• lapsus freudiano

Further reading

• lapsus in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈɫaːp.sʊs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈlap.sus]

Etymology 1

From lābor (“to slip”) +‎ -tus (forming action noun).

Noun

lāpsus m (genitive lāpsūs); fourth declension

1. gliding, sliding, slipping, falling
   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 2.225–226:

     “At geminī lāpsū dēlūbra ad summa dracōnēs / effugiunt [...].”

     “But the two serpents escape by gliding [off] to the highest temples [of Troy…].”
     [An escape “with a smooth motion”; translated above as if it were a participle.]

2. (transferred sense) fluid motion in a path, circuit, or course
   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.524:

     [...,] cum mediō volvuntur sīdera lāpsū, / [...].

     […,] when the stars are turning in their midnight course, [...].

3. (transferred sense, in the plural) of the effects of a fall
   • 77 CE – 79 CE, Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia 22.43
4. (figuratively, rare but Classical) a failing, error, fault

   Synonym: sphalma (New Latin)

   • c. 203 BCE, Plautus, Cistellaria 2.1.11
   • 45 BCE, Cicero, Academica 1.12.45
   • 55 BCE, Cicero, De Oratore 2.83.339
   • 77 CE – 79 CE, Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia 5.12

Declension

Fourth-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	lāpsus	lāpsūs
genitive	lāpsūs	lāpsuum
dative	lāpsuī	lāpsibus
accusative	lāpsum	lāpsūs
ablative	lāpsū	lāpsibus
vocative	lāpsus	lāpsūs

Descendants

• → Bulgarian: ла́псус (lápsus)
• → Catalan: lapsus
• → Czech: lapsus
• → English: lapsus
• → Finnish: lapsus
• → French: laps, lapsus
• → Icelandic: lapsus
• → Italian: lapsus
• → Macedonian: лапсус (lapsus)
• → Middle French: laps
  • → English: lapse
• → Portuguese: lapso
• → Russian: ля́псус (ljápsus)
• → Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic script: ла̀псус

  Latin script: làpsus

• → Spanish: lapsus
• → Swedish: lapsus

Etymology 2

Perfect active participle of lābor (“to slip, glide”).

Participle

lāpsus (feminine lāpsa, neuter lāpsum); first/second-declension participle

1. having slipped, glided, fallen

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	lāpsus	lāpsa	lāpsum		lāpsī	lāpsae	lāpsa
genitive	lāpsī	lāpsae	lāpsī		lāpsōrum	lāpsārum	lāpsōrum
dative	lāpsō	lāpsae	lāpsō		lāpsīs
accusative	lāpsum	lāpsam	lāpsum		lāpsōs	lāpsās	lāpsa
ablative	lāpsō	lāpsā	lāpsō		lāpsīs
vocative	lāpse	lāpsa	lāpsum		lāpsī	lāpsae	lāpsa

Descendants

• Italian: lasso
• → French: laps
• → English: lapse

References

• “lapsus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “lapsus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "lapsus", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • he has made several mistakes: saepe (crebro, multa) peccavit, erravit, lapsus est
    
• lapsus in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)), Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎, pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Etymology 3

lābor (“to slip”) +‎ -sus (action noun)

Noun

lapsus m (genitive lapsī); second declension

1. angel, heavenly being

   Lapsi cælo super nos ― Angels above us in the heavens

Declension

Second-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	lapsus	lapsī
genitive	lapsī	lapsōrum
dative	lapsō	lapsīs
accusative	lapsum	lapsōs
ablative	lapsō	lapsīs
vocative	lapse	lapsī

Polish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin lāpsus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlap.sus/
• Rhymes: -apsus
• Syllabification: lap‧sus

Noun

lapsus m inan

1. lapse, error, slip of the tongue

Declension

Declension of lapsus

	singular	plural
nominative	lapsus	lapsusy
genitive	lapsusu	lapsusów
dative	lapsusowi	lapsusom
accusative	lapsus	lapsusy
instrumental	lapsusem	lapsusami
locative	lapsusie	lapsusach
vocative	lapsusie	lapsusy

Further reading

• lapsus in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• lapsus in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French lapsus or Latin lapsus.

Noun

lapsus n (plural lapsusuri)

1. on the tip of one's tongue
2. slip of the tongue

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	lapsus	lapsusul		lapsusuri	lapsusurile
genitive-dative	lapsus	lapsusului		lapsusuri	lapsusurilor
vocative	lapsusule			lapsusurilor

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Latin lapsus.

Noun

làpsus m inan (Cyrillic spelling ла̀псус)

1. lapse

Declension

Declension of lapsus

	singular	plural
nominative	lapsus	lapsusi
genitive	lapsusa	lapsusa
dative	lapsusu	lapsusima
accusative	lapsus	lapsuse
vocative	lapsuse	lapsusi
locative	lapsusu	lapsusima
instrumental	lapsusom	lapsusima

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lāpsus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlabsus/ [ˈlaβ̞.sus]
• Rhymes: -absus
• Syllabification: lap‧sus

Noun

lapsus m (plural lapsus)

1. lapsus

Further reading

• “lapsus”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025