A Lapse Is a Slipping, and So Is a Landslide
A lapse is a temporary failure or the passing of time. The Latin root means to slip, and it produced several English words.
A lapse is a brief failure, a decline in standards, or the passing of an interval. Latin *labi*, to slip or glide, gives a family that all share the image: a lapse of memory is a slip, *collapse* is falling together, *elapse* is time slipping away, and *relapse* is slipping back. In law, a right or policy *lapses* when it slips out of force through the passage of time rather than by cancellation.
- A brief failure. *A lapse of concentration.*
- A passage of time. *After a lapse of ten years.*
- To expire. *The policy lapsed.*
- Elapse — of time, to pass. *Two hours elapsed.*
- Collapse — from the same root. *A collapse.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | lapse | A brief lapse. |
| Plural | lapses | Repeated lapses. |
| Verb | lapse | It lapsed. |
| Related | elapse | Time elapsed. |
| Latin | labi | To slip. |
- A lapse of judgement cost him the job.Failure.
- The insurance lapsed last month.Expiry.
- Labi means to slip in Latin.Etymology.
The labi family
- Lapse — a slip
- Elapse — to slip away, of time
- Collapse — to fall together
- Relapse — to slip back into a former state
- Prolapse — a slipping forward, in medicine
Latin *lapsus*, a slipping or falling, from *labi*, to slip or glide.
What does a lapsed policy mean?
One that has expired through the passage of time or non-payment, rather than being actively cancelled.
Are lapse and collapse related?
Yes. Both come from Latin labi, to slip. Collapse means to fall together.