Skip to content

lapsus

slip of the tongue, lapse

noun LAHP-soos Rare
Communication Speech

Origin: Latin lapsus (slip, fall)

Usage Note

Lapsus is a Latin borrowing used without adaptation in Italian — it is invariable (un lapsus, i lapsus, no plural ending change). It refers to a verbal or memory slip, often in the Freudian sense (lapsus freudiano). A slip of the tongue is lapsus linguae; a writing error is lapsus calami.

Examples

"Ha fatto un lapsus e ha detto il nome sbagliato."

Natural Translation

He made a slip and said the wrong name.

Explore Italian by topic