English

Noun

hap ‎(plural haps)

1. (archaic) That which happens; an occurrence or happening, especially an unexpected, random, chance, or fortuitous event; chance; fortune; luck.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, Act 3 Scene 1

     URSULA. She's lim'd, I warrant you: we have caught her, madam.

     HERO. If it prove so, then loving goes by haps:

     Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

     [I]t hath been many an honest man's hap to pass for the father of children he never begot […]

   • Edmund Spenser

     whether art it was or heedless hap

   • Sir Philip Sidney

     Cursed be good haps, and cursed be they that build / Their hopes on haps.

   • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick:

     He at once resolved to accompany me to that island, ship aboard the same vessel, get into the same watch, the same boat, the same mess with me, in short to share my every hap; with both my hands in his, boldly dip into the Potluck of both worlds.

Derived terms

See also

• what's the haps

Verb

hap ‎(third-person singular simple present haps, present participle happing, simple past and past participle happed)

1. (intransitive, literary) to happen; to befall; to chance.
   • 1868-9, Robert Browning, “The Ring and the Book”, in Edward Berdoe, editor, The poetical works of Robert Browning, published 1889, page 17:

     "But laudably, since thus it happed!" quoth one: Whereat, more witness and the case postponed. "Thus it happed not, since thus he did the deed,....

2. (transitive, literary) To happen to.
   • 1891, Elizabeth Stoddard, “No Answer”, in Harper's magazine, page 55:

     What meaneth June, to hap us every year.

Etymology 2

From Old English hap.

Noun

hap ‎(plural haps)

1. (Britain, Scotland, Western Pennsylvania, dialect) A wrap, such as a quilt or a comforter. Also, a small or folded blanket placed on the end of a bed to keep feet warm.

Verb

hap ‎(third-person singular simple present haps, present participle happing, simple past and past participle happed)

1. (dialect) To wrap, clothe.
   • Dr. J. Brown

     The surgeon happed her up carefully.

   • 1899, “Bartonshill Coal Co. v. Beid, 1 Pat. Sc. App. 792, 793.”, in Robert Campbell, editor, Ruling cases, volume 19:

     The practice was, before firing a shot for the purpose of blasting, to give an order to hap the crane, that is, to cover it, in order to protect it from the effect of the shot.

Etymology 3

Shortening of Haplochromis

Noun

hap ‎(plural haps)

1. Any of the cichlid fishes of the tribe Haplochromini.

Anagrams

• pah, PAH

Albanian

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *skapa, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kep- ‎(“to cut, split, dig”). Compare English shape, German schaffen ‎(“make, create”). Alternatively from Proto-Indo-European *upo "up from under, over". Compare Low German apen, Icelandic opna, Norwegian åpne 'to open', English open.

Verb

hap ‎(first-person singular past tense hapa, participle hapur)

1. I open

Conjugation

Related terms

• hep
• hapem
• hapje

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɦɑp/
• Rhymes: -ɑp

Noun

hap m ‎(plural happen, diminutive hapje n)

1. bite, chunk

Verb

hap

1. first-person singular present indicative of happen
2. imperative of happen

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English half.

Noun

hap

1. half
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 1:6 (translation here):

     Bihain God i tok olsem, “Wanpela banis i mas kamap bilong banisim wara, bai wara i stap long tupela hap.” Orait dispela banis i kamap. God i mekim dispela banis i kamap bilong banisim wara antap na wara daunbilo.

2. part
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 2:21 (translation here):

     Orait God, Bikpela i mekim man i slip i dai tru. Na taim man i slip yet, God i kisim wanpela bun long banis bilong man na i pasim gen skin bilong dispela hap.

3. place, one of a few places
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 1:22 (translation here):

     Na God i mekim gutpela tok bilong givim strong long ol. Em i tokim ol olsem, “Yupela ol kain kain samting bilong solwara, yupela i mas kamap planti na pulapim olgeta hap bilong solwara. Na yupela ol pisin, yupela i mas kamap planti long graun.”

Derived terms

• hap sankamap

Turkish

Etymology

From Arabic حَبّ ‎(ḥabb, “grains, seeds, pills”).

Noun

hap ‎(definite accusative habı, plural haplar)

1. pill

Descendants

• Greek: χάπι n ‎(chápi, “pill”)