v. t. Variant of Clasp [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Collapsed p. pr. & vb. n. Collapsing ] [ L. collapsus, p. p. of collabi to collapse; col- + labi to fall, slide. See Lapse. ] 1. To fall together suddenly, as the sides of a hollow vessel; to close by falling or shrinking together; to have the sides or parts of (a thing) fall in together, or be crushed in together; as, a flue in the boiler of a steam engine sometimes collapses. [ 1913 Webster ]

A balloon collapses when the gas escapes from it. Maunder. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To fail suddenly and completely, like something hollow when subject to too much pressure; to undergo a collapse; as, Maximilian's government collapsed soon after the French army left Mexico; many financial projects collapse after attaining some success and importance. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A falling together suddenly, as of the sides of a hollow vessel. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A sudden and complete failure; an utter failure of any kind; a breakdown. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Med.) Extreme depression or sudden failing of all the vital powers, as the result of disease, injury, or nervous disturbance. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. Capable of collapsing or being collapsed; as, a collapsible boat. [ Narrower terms: telescopic; tip-up ] Also See: folded. Antonym: noncollapsible.
Syn. -- collapsable. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. collapsio. ] Collapse. [ R. ] Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Delapsion. Ray. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Delapsed p. pr. & vb. n. Delapsing. ] [ L. delapsus, p. p. of delabi to fall down; de- + labi to fall or side. ] To pass down by inheritance; to lapse. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Which Anne derived alone the right, before all other,
Of the delapsed crown from Philip. Drayton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A falling down, or out of place; prolapsion. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., of uncertain origin. ] (Zoöl.) A genus of venomous snakes found both in America and the Old World. Many species are known. See Coral snake, under Coral. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Elapsed p. pr. & vb. n. Elapsing. ] [ L. elapsus, p. p. of elabi to glide away; e out + labi to fall, slide. See Lapse. ] To slip or glide away; to pass away silently, as time; -- used chiefly in reference to time. [ 1913 Webster ]

Eight days elapsed; at length a pilgrim came. Hoole. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of elapsing. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. il- not + lapsable. ] Incapable of slipping, or of error. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Morally immutable and illapsable. Glanvill. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Illapsed p. pr. & vb. n. Illapsing. ] [ L. illapsus, p. p. of illabi; pref. il- in + labi to fall, slide. ] To fall or glide; to pass; -- usually followed by into. Cheyne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. illapsus. See Illapse, v. i. ] A gliding in; an immisson or entrance of one thing into another; also, a sudden descent or attack. Akenside. [ 1913 Webster ]

They sit silent . . . waiting for an illapse of the spirit. Jeffrey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Infra + lapse: cf. F. infralapsaire. See Lapse. ] (Eccl. Hist.) One of that class of Calvinists who consider the decree of election as contemplating the apostasy as past and the elect as being at the time of election in a fallen and guilty state; -- opposed to Supralapsarian. The former considered the election of grace as a remedy for an existing evil; the latter regarded the fall as a part of God's original purpose in regard to men. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Theol.) Of or pertaining to the Infralapsarians, or to their doctrine. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Theor.) The doctrine, belief, or principles of the Infralapsarians. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. inter- + lapse: cf. L. interlabi, interlapsus, to fall, slide, or flow, between. ] The lapse or interval of time between two events. [ R. ] Harvey. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not liable to relapse; secure. Dr. H. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. lai^laps a dark, furious storm. ] (Paleon.) A genus of huge, carnivorous, dinosaurian reptiles from the Cretaceous formation of the United States. They had very large hind legs and tail, and are supposed to have been bipedal. Some of the species were about eighteen feet high. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Lapsible. Cudworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. lapsus, fr. labi, p. p. lapsus, to slide, to fall: cf. F. laps. See Sleep. ] 1. A gliding, slipping, or gradual falling; an unobserved or imperceptible progress or passing away, ; -- restricted usually to immaterial things, or to figurative uses. [ 1913 Webster ]

The lapse to indolence is soft and imperceptible. Rambler. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bacon was content to wait the lapse of long centuries for his expected revenue of fame. I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A slip; an error; a fault; a failing in duty; a slight deviation from truth or rectitude. [ 1913 Webster ]

To guard against those lapses and failings to which our infirmities daily expose us. Rogers. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) The termination of a right or privilege through neglect to exercise it within the limited time, or through failure of some contingency; hence, the devolution of a right or privilege. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Theol.) A fall or apostasy. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Lapsed p. pr. & vb. n. Lapsing. ] 1. To pass slowly and smoothly downward, backward, or away; to slip downward, backward, or away; to glide; -- mostly restricted to figurative uses. [ 1913 Webster ]

A tendency to lapse into the barbarity of those northern nations from whom we are descended. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

Homer, in his characters of Vulcan and Thersites, has lapsed into the burlesque character. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To slide or slip in moral conduct; to fail in duty; to fall from virtue; to deviate from rectitude; to commit a fault by inadvertence or mistake. [ 1913 Webster ]

To lapse in fullness
Is sorer than to lie for need. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) (a) To fall or pass from one proprietor to another, or from the original destination, by the omission, negligence, or failure of some one, as a patron, a legatee, etc. (b) To become ineffectual or void; to fall. [ 1913 Webster ]

If the archbishop shall not fill it up within six months ensuing, it lapses to the king. Ayliffe. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To let slip; to permit to devolve on another; to allow to pass. [ 1913 Webster ]

An appeal may be deserted by the appellant's lapsing the term of law. Ayliffe. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To surprise in a fault or error; hence, to surprise or catch, as an offender. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

For which, if be lapsed in this place,
I shall pay dear. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Having slipped downward, backward, or away; having lost position, privilege, etc., by neglect; -- restricted to figurative uses. [ 1913 Webster ]

Once more I will renew
His lapsed powers, though forfeit. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Ineffectual, void, or forfeited; as, a lapsed policy of insurance; a lapsed legacy. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lapsed devise,
Lapsed legacy (Law), a devise, or legacy, which fails to take effect in consequence of the death of the devisee, or legatee, before that of the testator, or for other cause. Wharton (Law Dict.). [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Liable to lapse. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. See Lopsided. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A stone for the lap, on which shoemakers beat leather. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. Made with boards whose edges lap one over another; clinker-built; -- said of boats. Contrasted with carvel-built.
Syn. -- lap-jointed, overlapping. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. not able to be folded into a compact form. Opposite of collapsible. [ Narrower terms: nontelescopic, nontelescoping ] [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ L. praeterlapsus, p. p. of praeterlabi to glide by. See Preter-, Lapse. ] Past; as, preterlapsed ages. [ R. ] Glanvill. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. prolapsus, fr. prolapsus, p. p. of prolabi to fall forward; pro forward + labi to glide, fall. ] (Med.) The falling down of a part through the orifice with which it is naturally connected, especially of the uterus or the rectum. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To fall down or out; to protrude. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. prolapsio. ] (Med.) Prolapse. [ Written also prolaption. ] [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ] (Med.) Prolapse. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Relapsed p. pr. & vb. n. Relapsing. ] [ L. relapsus, p. p. of relabi to slip back, to relapse; pref. re- re- + labi to fall, slip, slide. See Lapse. ] 1. To slip or slide back, in a literal sense; to turn back. [ Obs. ] Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To slide or turn back into a former state or practice; to fall back from some condition attained; -- generally in a bad sense, as from a state of convalescence or amended condition; as, to relapse into a stupor, into vice, or into barbarism; -- sometimes in a good sense; as, to relapse into slumber after being disturbed. [ 1913 Webster ]

That task performed, [ preachers ] relapse into themselves. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Theol.) To fall from Christian faith into paganism, heresy, or unbelief; to backslide. [ 1913 Webster ]

They enter into the justified state, and so continue all along, unless they relapse. Waterland. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ For sense 2 cf. F. relaps. See Relapse, v. ] 1. A sliding or falling back, especially into a former bad state, either of body or morals; backsliding; the state of having fallen back. [ 1913 Webster ]

Alas! from what high hope to what relapse
Unlooked for are we fallen! Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who has relapsed, or fallen back, into error; a backslider; specifically, one who, after recanting error, returns to it again. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who relapses. Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Marked by a relapse; falling back; tending to return to a former worse state. [ 1913 Webster ]

Relapsing fever (Med.), an acute, epidemic, contagious fever, which prevails also endemically in Ireland, Russia, and some other regions. It is marked by one or two remissions of the fever, by articular and muscular pains, and by the presence, during the paroxism of spiral bacterium (Spirochaete) in the blood. It is not usually fatal. Called also famine fever, and recurring fever. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. & a. [ Pref. sub + lapse: cf. F. sublapsarien, sublapsarie. ] (Eccl. Hist.) Same as Infralapsarian. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Infralapsarianism. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Sublapsarian. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Supra- + lapse: cf. F. supralapsaire. ] (Eccl. Hist.) One of that class of Calvinists who believed that God's decree of election determined that man should fall, in order that the opportunity might be furnished of securing the redemption of a part of the race, the decree of salvation being conceived of as formed before or beyond, and not after or following, the lapse, or fall. Cf. Infralapsarian. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to the Supralapsarians, or their doctrine. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The doctrine, belief, or principles of the Supralapsarians. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Supralapsarian. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A Supralapsarian. [ 1913 Webster ]