Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A sheet of water flowing over a dam or similar structure.
- noun Geology A large sheetlike body of rock that has been moved far from its original position.
- noun Mathematics Either of the two parts into which a cone is divided by the vertex.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A surface swelling out from a point in the form of a cone or hyperboloid about its vertex.
- noun In geometry, a sheet; a separate portion of a surface.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Geom.) Sheet; surface; all that portion of a surface that is continuous in such a way that it is possible to pass from any one point of the portion to any other point of the portion without leaving the surface. Thus, some hyperboloids have one
nappe , and some have two.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The
profile of a body ofwater flowing over anobstruction in avertical drop . - noun mathematics Either of the two parts of a
double cone . - noun geology A
sheet -like mass ofrock that has been folded over adjacent strata. - noun hydraulics Nappe, the underside of which is not in contact with the overflow structure and is at ambient atmospheric pressure.
- noun cooking The ability of a liquid to "coat the back of a spoon" or the act of coating a food.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Mollie had a red and white checkered oilcloth nappe on her round oak pedestal table in the kitchen.
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Mollie had a red and white checkered oilcloth nappe on her round oak pedestal table in the kitchen.
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Most of this sediment cover slipped to the north during the formation of the Alps, leaving the Helvetian nappe exposed.
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La nappe de recouvrement des environs de Gavarnie et de Gèdre.
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Geology of the Spanish part of the Gavarnie nappe (Pyrenees).
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La nappe du Mont Perdu et ses relations avec la nappe de Gavarnie.
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It is dominated by the crystalline Aar Massif and extends as far as the Helvetic nappe system in the Wengernalp region.
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Structure du masif du Mont Perdu; ses relaions avec la nappe de recouvrement de Gavarnie (Pyrénées) C.R. Acad.
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As I smoothed down a cotton nappe, one of the cousins pulled out crackers and nuts for the apéro.
Words in a French Life Kristin Espinasse 2007
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Back over low-medium heat for 10 minutes or so, stiring all the time, until the custard “nappe” the wooden spoon fanny : it means that the custard coats the spoon: if you have a thermometre you should know this : cook until the temperature reaches 83°C, then remove from the heat for 2 minutes, still stirring.
foodbeam » Glace à la vanille fondante with black cherries 2005
joannasephine commented on the word nappe
(noun) 1. A sheet of water flowing over a dam or similar structure.
2. (Geology) A large sheetlike body of rock that has been moved far from its original position.
3. (Mathematics) Either of the two parts into which a cone is divided by the vertex.
French, tablecloth, nappe, from Old French, tablecloth, from Latin mappa, napkin
March 6, 2008