# to lap (liquid)



## kwak22

Hello, I have a weird question.

I am interested to know how do you say "*to lap*" ("to take a liquid with the tongue") in as many languages as possible.

For example, in *Russian*: *лакать* (lakat'): котёнок *вылакал* молоко (kot'onok *vylakal* moloko) -- the kitten *lapped up* the milk.

Thank you very much!

(Thanks to @merquiades for the correction.)


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## Sardokan1.0

In *Sardinian *: lìnghere (to lick) - from *Latin *"lingere"

In *Italian *: leccare (to lick)


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## TheCrociato91

Sardokan1.0 said:


> In *Italian *: leccare (to lick)



There's also _lappare_, which is nowhere near as common as _leccare_ but it's specific to animals licking their food.


lappare /lap·pà·re/ NON COM.
_verbo intransitivo_

Di animali, bere leccando con la lingua.


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## bibax

Czech:

*chlemtati* (perf. vychlemtati) or lemtati (omitting the initial consonant [x]) = to lap up (hastily and noisily), used mainly for animals, esp. dogs;

pes *vychlemtal* misku vody = _the dog has lapped up a saucer of water;
_
However this expressive verb is not used for small and quiet animals like cats, kittens, mice, etc. In such case we use _to lick_ (licking is rather soundless):

*lízati* impf. = to lick, Russ. лизать /lizať/;
*vylízati* perf. = to lick sth out/clean, Russ. вылизать /vylizať/;

kotě *vylízalo* misku mléka = _the kitten lapped up (= licked clean) a saucer of milk;_

BTW, Italian lappare (lappatura) and Czech lapovati (lapování) is a kind of grinding/polishing, probably from English to lap (lapping).


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## merquiades

You need the preposition in English for it to have this meaning: Lap up.


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## Perseas

In *Greek* you can use the verb "γλείφω" /γl*i*fo/, which basically means "lick", but it can also render the meaning of the verb "lap up". The cat lapped up all the milk - Η γάτα έγλειψε όλο το γάλα.


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## kwak22

Thanks a lot to all so far!


Perseas said:


> In *Greek* you can use the verb "γλείφω" /γl*i*fo/, which basically means "lick", but it can also render the meaning of the verb "lap up". The cat lapped up all the milk - Η γάτα έγλειψε όλο το γάλα.


Yes, it is interesting. What drove the question was a weird idea, actually (not mine, or I hope so). The position of the tongue that is used in lapping and in licking (when a human does it) resembles that which is used to pronounce the sound [l]. So, I was interested to see how prominent [l] is in common words for lapping and licking across the languages of the world... And it seems that so far, even if not always used at the very beginning of the root of the verb, it is still prominent indeed, in all languages covered, which is quite puzzling.

More answers for more languages would be very welcome. Thank you!


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## AndrasBP

kwak22 said:


> The position of the tongue that is used in lapping and in licking (when a human does it) resembles that which is used to pronounce the sound [l]. So, I was interested to see how prominent [l] is in common words for lapping and licking across the languages of the world...


Yes, the words in different languages seem to be onomatopoeic (imitating a sound).

The *Hungarian *verb also starts with an [l] sound: *lefetyel */'lɛfɛcɛl/


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## Armas

Finnish:

*latkia* / *litkiä*


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## AndrasBP

Latvian: lakt 
Lithuanian: lakti

The verbs sound the same as Russian lakat'.


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## Yendred

In French:
_laper_ (also accepted form: _lapper_, but the academic one is _laper_)


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## Dymn

To be honest I don't know about any word for this in *Catalan*. I guess we'd simply use _llepar _"to lick", _beure llepant _"to drink by licking", _beure a llenguades _"to drink with tongue strokes", etc. The _ll _in _llepar _is /ʎ/, but it must have been /l/ in an earlier stage of the language. I'm not sure it's etymoligically related to "lap", "lappare", "laper", etc.


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## Ghabi

*Cantonese:* lem2


merquiades said:


> You need the preposition in English for it to have this meaning: Lap up.


"Lap" can be used transitively. As in Dickinson's poem:

I like to see it lap the Miles —
And lick the Valleys up —


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## merquiades

Yes. Lap the miles is the meaning "to cover distance" used today mostly with swimming and jogging.


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## kwak22

I am thankful for all the interventions!

I wonder whether there is _any_ language that does not put a prominent [l] into the verb for "lap up" (provided that some variation of this sound is employed in the language...). And, naturally, I am interested in any more examples of languages that do use this consonant in the place.


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## Ghabi

You can add Arabic as an example, لحس la7isa.

For a counter-example, you may cite classical Chinese: 舐 saai2.


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## Perseas

In *Armenian* it's լիզեմ (lizem).
լիզեմ - Wiktionary


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## swintok

Ukrainian
хлистати (khlyst*a*ty) - for animals it means to lap up, but can also be used for humans to mean to drink very quickly or in great quantity or to eat something with a spoon.
хлебтати (khlebt*a*ty) - similar to хлистати

Both these terms are rather literary and I have not noticed them much in everyday speech or writing.  You are more likely to hear or read simply the verb to drink (пити - pyty) or, if it is the sound being emphasised, to slurp (сьорбати - s'orbaty).


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## AndrasBP

Ghabi said:


> You can add Arabic as an example, لحس la7isa.


How do you pronounce "7"?


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## ThomasK

Dutch: *likken* (leading to _*lekker*_, delicious)


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## Ghabi

swintok said:


> хлистати (khlyst*a*ty) [...] or to eat something with a spoon.


That's interesting. In Arabic the word for spoon (mil3aqa ملعقة) is also derived from a verb meaning "to lick" (la3iqa لعق).


AndrasBP said:


> How do you pronounce "7"?


It's a bit like blowing on your hands when you feel cold.


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## bearded

AndrasBP said:


> How do you pronounce "7"?


7 is a conventional symbol for an 'emphatic' or strong h (a sound that does not exist in European languages, sort of h pronounced with open jaws from the bottom of your throat), so the verb mentioned by Ghabi could be written like ''làHisa'' (literally: he licked/he lapped.  In Arabic you use the 3rd person masculine of the past in order to quote a verb).


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## AndrasBP

Ghabi said:


> It's a bit like blowing on your hands when you feel cold.





bearded said:


> 7 is a conventional symbol for an 'emphatic' or strong h


Thank you. 
Is it the sound /ħ/ in IPA?


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## bearded

Yes.


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