Usage Note
Laper describes the way cats, dogs, and other animals drink by rapidly flicking the tongue. It is onomatopoeic in origin and is used almost exclusively for animals; saying a person lape their soup would be comical or insulting. The related noun lapée means a single lap of liquid.
Examples
"Le chat lape son lait dans l'assiette."
Natural Translation
The cat laps its milk from the dish.
Related Words
Explore French by topic
FrenchNow
7 min read