!['In slaap gesust' Rijksmuseum SK-A-2378](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/%27In_slaap_gesust%27_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-2378.jpeg/1200px-%27In_slaap_gesust%27_Rijksmuseum_SK-A-2378.jpeg)
A lap is a surface (usually horizontal) created between the
knee and
hips
In vertebrate anatomy, hip (or "coxa"Latin ''coxa'' was used by Celsus in the sense "hip", but by Pliny the Elder in the sense "hip bone" (Diab, p 77) in medical terminology) refers to either an anatomical region or a joint.
The hip region ...
of a
biped
Bipedalism is a form of terrestrial locomotion where an organism moves by means of its two rear limbs or legs. An animal or machine that usually moves in a bipedal manner is known as a biped , meaning 'two feet' (from Latin ''bis'' 'double' ...
when it is in a seated or lying down position. The lap of a parent or loved one is seen as a physically and psychologically
comfortable
Comfort (or being comfortable'')'' is a sense of physical or psychological ease, often characterized as a lack of hardship. Persons who are lacking in comfort are uncomfortable, or experiencing discomfort. A degree of psychological comfort c ...
place for a child to sit.
In some countries where
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
is celebrated, it has been a tradition for children to sit on the lap of a person dressed as
Santa Claus to tell Santa what they want for Christmas, and have their picture taken, but this practice has since been questioned in some of these countries, where this sort of contact between children and unfamiliar adults raises concerns.
Among adults, a person sitting on the lap of another usually indicates an intimate or romantic relationship between the two; this is a factor in the erotic activity in
strip clubs
Strip or Stripping may refer to:
Places
* Aouzou Strip, a strip of land following the northern border of Chad that had been claimed and occupied by Libya
* Caprivi Strip, narrow strip of land extending from the Okavango Region of Namibia to ...
known as a
lap dance, where one person straddles the lap of the other and gyrates their lower extremities in a provocative manner.
A
Lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar played in a sitting position with the instrument placed horizontally across the player's knees.
The lap can be a useful surface for carrying out tasks when a table is not available. The
laptop computer
A laptop, laptop computer, or notebook computer is a small, portable personal computer (PC) with a screen and alphanumeric keyboard. Laptops typically have a clam shell form factor with the screen mounted on the inside of the upper li ...
was so named because it was seen as being able to be used on the user's lap.
[''The Electrified Mind: Development, Psychopathology, and Treatment in the Era of Cell Phones and the Internet'', by Salman Akhtar, 2012, page 9.]
See also
*
Lap dog
A lap dog or lapdog is a dog that is both small enough to be held in the arms or lie comfortably on a person's lap and temperamentally predisposed to doing so. ''Lapdog'' is not a specific breed, but a generic term for a type of dog that is sma ...
*
Laptop
References
{{Human anatomical features
Human anatomy
Lower limb anatomy