[ad. L. lapsāre to slip, stumble, fall, f. laps-, ppl. stem of lābī to glide, slip, fall. In some senses, prob. a new formation on LAPSE sb. (The physical applications, though etymologically primary, are of late appearance in Eng.)]
I. Intransitive senses.
1. To fall away by slow degrees; to pass or sink gradually through absence of effort or sustaining influence. Also with away, back. Constr. from, into.
1641. J. Jackson, True Evang. T., I. 39. Many lapsed and apostatized from the faith.
1654. H. L’Estrange, Chas. I. (1655), 124. So ill are even the best actions relisht of men lapsed into common disdain.
1691. Norris, Pract. Disc., 169. Man is deeply lapsed and degenerated from a state of Excellency.
1704. Nelson, Fest. & Fasts, vi. (1739), 79. Their Fathers lapsed into Idolatry.
1798. Malthus, Popul. (1817), III. 151. Should the British constitution ultimately lapse into a despotism.
1804. Knox & Jebb, Corr., I. 121. Those that are lapsed into some wounding sin.
1851. Illustr. Catal. Gt. Exhib., 205. Hybrids … gradually lapse into the one or the other of the originals.
18[?]. Dickens, Repr. Pieces (1866), 128. They seemed to lapse away, of mere imbecility.
1862. Goulburn, Pers. Relig., III. ii. (1873), 164. Take away the variety of vocations … and … society lapses again into barbarism.
1872. Black, Adv. Phaeton, xxx. 407. The road itself seems lapsing back into moorland.
1873. Burton, Hist. Scot., VI. lxviii. 131. In his account of this copy of the book, Prynne lapses from his usual exactness.
1891. E. Peacock, N. Brendon, I. 25. Joel lapsed into thought.
† b. simply. To fall into error, heresy or sin. Obs.
1611. Shaks., Cymb., III. vi. 12. To lapse in Fulnesse Is sorer, then to lye for Neede.
1649. Roberts, Clavis Bibl., 368. That highest wisdome cannot secure us from lapsing, if the Lord a little leave us to ourselves.
1667. Milton, P. L., X. 574. Oft they fell Into the same illusion, not as Man Whom they triumph’d once lapst.
c. nonce-use. To pass out of existence; to become eliminated.
1884. trans. Lotze’s Logic, 322. The case (C – a = E + a). The part a disappears in our observation from C or is by experimental means made to lapse.
† 2. To fall into decay. Obs.
1620. Venner, Via Recta, viii. 170. The like respect also, in reducing a constitution lapsed, is to bee had of the age.
1654. H. L’Estrange, Chas. I. (1655), 167. The King having appointed the … Governour of the Castle, to take order for the re-edification of what was lapsed.
3. Law. Of a benefice, an estate, a right, etc.: To fall in, pass away, revert (to some one) owing to non-fulfilment of conditions or failure of persons entitled to possession. Of a devise or grant: To become void. (Quot. 1726 may be pass. of 7.)
1726. Ayliffe, Parergon, 333. Such Benefices as are lapsed unto the Bishop.
1767. Blackstone, Comm., II. 183. If they do not both agree within six months, the right of presentation shall lapse.
1806. Surr, Winter in Lond. (ed. 3), III. 44. There must be an heir to the Beauchamp estates, or they will lapse into possession of the crown.
1827. Jarman, Powell’s Devises (ed. 3), II. 327. If … the gift were to testator’s children … by name,… the share of one of the objects subsequently dying in his lifetime would, if the gift were joint, survive to the others; but, if it were several, lapse.
1845. Stephen, Comm. Laws Eng. (1874), I. 177. The estate which was lapsed or fallen in by the death of the last tenant.
1852. Hook, Ch. Dict. (1871), 430. When a patron neglects to present a clergyman to a benefice in his gift within six months after its vacancy, the benefice lapses to the bishop; and if he does not collate within six months, it lapses to the archbishop; and if he neglects to collate within six months, it lapses to the Crown.
1874. Green, Short Hist., iv. § 2. 168. The bulk of the earldoms had already lapsed to the Crown.
1876. Digby, Real Prop., viii. 351. If a devisee dies in the lifetime of the testator, though the devise may have been expressed to be made to him and his heirs,… the devise lapses, or fails to take effect.
1879. Cassell’s Techn. Educ., IV. 90/2. For the whole of fourteen years it lay unused, the consequence was that the patent altogether lapsed.
1884. Law Times Rep., 12 April, 202/1. The income … lapses and goes to the testator’s widow and grandson, as next of kin.
transf. 1882. J. H. Blunt, Ref. Ch. Eng., II. 2. The government lapsed into the hands of a few working members of the Privy Council.
4. To glide, pass with an effortless motion; also, to descend gradually, to sink, subside.
1798. Landor, Gebir, Wks. 1846, II. 491. And now one arm Fell, and her other lapsing o’er the neck Or Gebir, swung against his back incurved.
1858. Hawthorne, Fr. & It. Jrnls., II. 127. Where angels might alight, lapsing downward from heaven.
1867. Howells, Ital. Journ., 317. They rise and lapse [sc. in intonation] several times in each sentence.
1889. The County, I. ix. 126. I manage a cool ‘How do you do, Mr. Vaudrey?’ and lapse into a low chair.
b. Of a stream: To glide, flow; app. used by many writers with a reminiscence or echo of LAP v.1 (sense 4). Also with along. Occas. of a person, a vessel: To float, glide gently over the water.
1832. L. Hunt, Sonnets, Poems 211. Hear the fruitful stream lapsing along ’Twixt villages. Ibid., Sir R. Esher (1850), 255. I lapsed about the Isis in a boat.
1852. Hawthorne, Blithedale Rom., I. xii. 220. I saw the river lapsing calmly onward.
1859. Dickens, Haunted Ho., IV. 19. Of rippling waves, that lapsed in silver hush Upon the beach.
1863. Cowden Clarke, Shaks. Char., vi. 142. And, with this, come thronging visions of the ‘silver Thames’ … and barges lapsing on its tranquil tide.
1865. Cornh. Mag., Oct., 447. The murmurous water lapses against the far-off sea-wall with a sound as of a distant hum of bees.
1880. W. Watson, Prince’s Quest, River (1892), 132. My soul is such a stream as thou Lapsing along it knows not how.
c. Of time: To glide past, pass away.
1702. C. Mather, Magn. Chr., IV. iv. (1852), 77. Sixteen years will this summer be lapsed since [etc.].
1860. Hawthorne, Marb. Faun (1878), II. xvi. 118. She knew that the moments were fleetly lapsing away.
II. Transitive (causative) senses.
† 5. To cause to slip or fall, to draw down. Const. into. Obs.
1664. H. More, Myst. Iniq., 250. That notorious serpentine shape which deceived Adam and Eve and Lapsed them into rebellion. Ibid. (1681), Exp. Dan., App. i. 258. In lapsing and keeping down the Empire in Superstition and Idolatry.
† 6. To let slip (time, a term); to let pass without being turned to account. Obs.
1667. Decay Chr. Piety, vi. ¶ 17. We know the danger of lapsing time in case of mortgage, but here our danger is greater.
1680. Morden, Geog. Rect. (1685), 127. Erick the Fifth … lapsed his time of demanding the Investiture of the Electorship.
1683. Cave, Ecclesiastici, Chrysostom, 528. He would many times lapse the usual times of dining, and eat nothing till the evening.
1726. Ayliffe, Parergon, 81. An Appeal may be deserted by the Appellants lapsing the Term of Law.
† 7. To allow (a right) to lapse; to suffer the lapse of (a living); to forfeit, lose. Obs.
1642. Laud, Diary, Wks. 1853, III. 249. Tuesday I received a letter, dated Jan. 17, from His Majesty, to give Chartham to Mr. Reddinge, or lapse it to him.
1660. Plea for Ministers in Sequestration, 4. The complainants have lapsed their Livings.
1687. in Magd. Coll. & Jas. II. (O.H.S.), 45. Q. Eliz: did jure suo make Dr Bond præs: ye Coll. hauing lapsd yr election.
1697. Confer. Lambeth, in W. S. Perry, Hist. Coll. Amer. Col. Ch., I. 47. A Vestry cannot lapse their right of presentation as a patron may.
¶ 8. ? Associated with lapse = laps pl. (LAP sb.1 8): ? To pounce upon as an offender, apprehend. Obs.
1601. Shaks., Twel. N., III. iii. 36. For which if I be lapsed in this place I shall pay deere.
