Etymology Dictionary

NAP (1),  a short sleep.  (E.)   We now say 'to take a nap,' and treat nap as a sb.   We also say 'to be caught napping,' where it is a sb. formed from a verb.   It was formerly a verb, though napping was also used.   M. E. nappen, to doze.   'Se! how he nappeth;' Chaucer, C. T. 16958.—A. S. hnæppian, to nap; hnæppað is a gloss upon dormit, Ps. xl. 9, ed. Spelman.   The orig. sense is 'to nod,' or 'droop,' or 'bend forwards;' allied to A. S. hnipian, to bend oneself, Grein, ii. 91; also to Icel. hnipna, to droop, despond.   Cf. Bavarian knappen, to nod with the head, knipfen, to hobble (Schmeller); G. nicken, to nod, doze.   Der. napp-ing, A. S. hnappung, Grein, ii. 90.

NAP (2),  the roughish surface of cloth.  (C.)   In Spenser, Muiopotmos, l. 333.   Shak. has napless = threadbare; Cor. ii. I. 250.   The older form is nop.   M. E. noppe; 'noppe of a cloth, villus;' Prompt. Parv.   See Way's note, where he cites passages to shew that noppe 'denotes those little knots, which, after cloth has passed through the fulling-mill, are removed by women with little nippers; a process termed burling cloth.'   He cites:  'noppy, as cloth is that hath a gross woffe [woof].'   Also:  'Clarisse the nopster (esbourysse) can well her craft, syth whan she lerned it, cloth for to noppe;' Caxton, Book for Travellers.   We now apply the term, not to the knoppy or knobby (i.e. knotty) surface, but to the sheared surface, by a natural change in the sense, due to our not seeing the cloth till the process is completed.—A. S. hnoppa, nap of cloth; an unauthorised form given by Somner, but prob. correct.   It is plainly a mere variant of A. S. cnæp, a top, a knop, knob; see Knop, Knob. + Du. nop; O. Du. noppe, 'the nap of wooll or cloath,' Hexham; cf. O. Du. noppen, 'to sheare of [off] the nap,' id.   Allied to Du. knoop, a knot, knob, knop, a knob. + Dan. noppe, frizzed nap of cloth; cf. Dan. knop, a knob. + O. Swed. nopp, nap; cf. Swed. knop, a knot. + Low G. nobbe, nap; Bremen Wörterbuch.   (All are words of Celtic origin.)   And see Nape.   Der. nap-less, as above.