lapse
UK[læps]US[læps]
n
a temporary failure of concentration, memory, or judgement.
n
a period of time between two events.
v
(of a right, privilege, or agreement) to become invalid because it is not used or claimed.
v
to pass gradually into a different, often worse, state.
Morpheme Breakdown
laps
e
laps
slip
e
Etymology
the word 'lapse' entered english in the late 15th century, directly from latin lapsus, meaning 'a slipping and falling, a fall'. this latin noun derives from the verb labi ('to slip, glide, fall'), which itself is traced back to the proto-indo-european root leb- ('to hang down loosely, be weak'). the core semantic thread from 'to slip' evolved into the modern abstract meanings. a momentary 'slip' of the mind leads to a lapse in judgement, time is seen as 'slipping' or gliding by between events, and a right that 'slips away' through disuse is said to lapse. the silent 'e' is a common feature in english borrowings from latin, preserving a historical spelling link.
Analysis
Structure: laps (slip) + e
laps (from latin lapsus, meaning 'a slip, fall'; a noun of action from the verb labi 'to slip, fall, glide') + e (a silent letter, often a vestige of latin inflectional endings or a marker of english spelling conventions).
Examples
the security breach was caused by a momentary lapse in attention.
after a lapse of several years, she decided to return to university.
your membership will lapse if you do not renew it by the end of the month.