Diaper Meaning

/ˈdaɪ(ə)pə/
B1

Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

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nounAn absorbent garment worn around the crotch that retains the wearer's urine and feces, often worn by a baby or young child who is not yet toilet trained, or by an adult who is incontinent or wets the bed, or under extreme working conditions without access to a toilet; a nappy.

nounA textile fabric having a repeating pattern, especially of diamonds or flowers, formed by alternating directions of thread.

Peter may need a new diaper.
I need to change the baby's diaper.
He wore a diaper on long flights because of his incontinence.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The baby's wet ____ needed to be changed immediately.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Peter may need a new ____.

From Middle English dyaper, diapre, dyapre, from Old French diapre, dyapre, a variant of dyaspre, diaspre (“ornamental silk cloth embellished with floral or decorative geometrical patterns”), from Medieval Latin diaspra, diasprum (“a type of rich, valuable silken cloth”), probably from Byzantine Greek δίασπρος (díaspros, “very white; pure white”, adjective), from δια- (dia-, “across”) + ἄσπρος (áspros, “white”).

"A bag of baby-clothes, containing 1 ſheet, 1 ſhi[r]t, 1 bedgown, 12 diapers, 2 child's bedgowns, 2 child's ſhirts, 2 child's robes, 2 child's nightcaps and a wrapper." — 1810 April 19, “Exeter Lying-in Charity”, in Trewman's Exeter Flying-Post, volume XLIX, number 2324, R. Trewman, M. Trewman, page 4:
"You push it up the vagina while lying on your back, and retain it there by a bandage around, as in wearing diapers. It may be taken out at night after laying down; but must be pushed up in the morning before rising." — 1817, Thomas Ewell, Letters to Ladies Detailing Important Information, Concerning Themselves and Infants, W. Brown, page 103:
"We have repeatedly known children have from six to ten discharges of yellow-coloured fæces per day, for many days, without injury, provided they nursed well and were well attended to. […] We are far from wishing to make nurses or mothers indifferent to this state of things, but we do wish, for the sake of the welfare of the important little beings intrusted to their care, that they will not think, because they are too free in the bowels, and give the nurse a great deal of trouble to change the diapers frequently, they must take paregoric to check them." — 1839, J[oseph] Warrington, The Nurse's Guide, Thomas, Cowperthwait and Co., page 82:
"Perhaps you will find space in your charming magazine for the following description of suspenders I made to keep my baby's diaper in place. I had never seen them before, although other mothers may have something similar for the purpose." — 1888 December 26, Anonymous [A Jersey Mother], “Diaper Suspenders”, in Leroy M. Yale, editor, Babyhood: A Monthly Magazine for Mothers, volume V, number 49, Babyhood Publishing Company, page 18:
"A midwife should always visit her patient within twelve hours after labour, and she should make a routine practice of enquiring whether or not her urine has been passed. […] She must thoroughly cleanse her patient, change her diaper, tighten or change her binder, and clear away all soiled things from under her." — 1899, Robert Jardine, Practical Text-book of Midwifery for Nurses and Students, The Macmillan Publishers, page 129:

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CEFR Practice Quiz
The baby's wet ____ needed to be changed immediately.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Peter may need a new ____.

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