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| lapse [ laps ] |
noun (plural laps·es) |
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| Definition: |
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1. error: a momentary fault or failure in behavior or morality
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2. gap in continuity: a break in the continuity of something
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3. period: a passage of time
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4. law failure to act in time: a failure to exercise a right within a specific period of time, e.g. the failure to buy a property before the termination of an option to buy
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intransitive verb (past and past participle lapsed, present participle laps·ing, 3rd person present singular laps·es) |
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| Definition: |
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1. gradually come to stop: to come to an end or stop doing something gradually
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2. decline: to decline in value, quality, or conduct
  Their standards have lapsed.
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3. lose significance: to decline gradually, becoming less important
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4. law become void: to become null and void through disuse, negligence, or death
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5.
Same as elapse
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| [14th century. < Latin lapsus "falling, failure" < past participle of labi "fall"] |
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| laps·a·ble adjective |
| laps·er noun |
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a lapse from grace a failure in moral conduct or religious belief
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