diaper

noun

1. (Canada, India, Philippines, US, countable, uncountable)An 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.

   “cloth diaper, disposable diaper, nighttime diaper, swim diaper”

   “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.”

   “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.”

   “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.”

2. (countable, historical, uncountable)A textile fabric having a repeating pattern, especially of diamonds or flowers, formed by alternating directions of thread.

   “Near-synonym: diamond twill”

   “Diaper table clothes the peece containing xx.yards xl.s”

   “Where's that knaue Pipkin, bid him ſpred the Fetch the cleane diaper napkins from my cheſt, Set out the guilded ſalt, and bid the fellow.”

   “Then the young Gentleman takes upon him to call the Maid, for he has in a manner two homes for the preſent; and bids her bring a Bottle of Sack, Straight up comes the Maid with a Bottle, a clean Glaſs, and a Diaper Napkin, and the Mother drinks to Mrs. Prittle-prattle.”

   “Item, I bequeath, to the uſe of the ſame church, an howſeling towell of diaper, and an altar cloath of diaper, there to remain.”

3. (Canada, US, colloquial, countable, humorous, sometimes, uncountable)Something that absorbs and collects (retains) liquid or waste material, much like a diaper (noun sense 1).

   “engine diaper, meat diaper, period diaper, rubber diaper”

   “Pendent straps in front and behind support a diaper, or its equivalent, during the period of the menses.”

   “Sanitary Wood Wool, and Wood Wool Wadding consist of finely-comminuted pine wood, rendered antiseptic with sublimate; they are very absorbent, and are now much used for dressing wounds; and the wadding is formed into "diapers" for ladies' use in menstruation and haemorrhage, and into accouchement sheets.”

   “The tissue is friable and must be collected in a fresh state. If retained in the vagina or on the menstrual diaper for any length of time, its features, both maco- and microscopical, are lost. The further consideration of this tissue is deferred to a later section.”

   “NOW… a really easy way to water your indoor hanging plants. ATTACH… the Plant Diaper to any hanging basket up to 14". WATER… the clear plastic Plant Diaper catches and holds the water, holding the humidity around the plant.”

4. (Canada, US, colloquial, countable, derogatory, humorous, possibly, uncountable)A piece of clothing that resembles the shape of a diaper (noun sense 1) but lacks the absorbency.

   “Gandhi was the holiest man in the world and ONLY holy men know how to fight in this world. Gandhi only needs a little diaper and no shoes. He does not need very much food. He doesn't ask for any of the riches of the whole world.”

   “I suppose the average American or European, if asked about Mahatma Gandhi, would summarize his knowledge as follows: Gandhi is a thin, brown toothless Indian, dressed in a diaper, who lives on goat's milk and vegetables, fasts frequently, and has been twisting the British lion's tail for a quarter of a century inside and outside of jail.”

   “"Not me," he said. "I don't wanna go around singin' and dancin' with lipstick on my face and wearin' a diaper." "It's not a diaper — it's a loincloth." "Call it what you want, it's a diaper."”

   “Ten minutes later I was standing beside the stage, barefoot and half-naked in a sumo diaper. The audience of six hundred was bundled up against the 40-degree weather. The bigger guys had layers of protective fat—I started shivering immediately.”

   “No, I'm wearing an armored "diaper" because it has become a requirement for many Marines in theater. When I asked Lt. Col. Kevin Trimble, commander of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., about the new gear fielded to protect Marines' groins from blast injuries, he issued the armor to photographer James Lee and I, too.”

5. (countable, uncountable)A repeating geometrical or (often stylised) floral pattern, usually of small diamonds evenly spaced, that decorates a flat surface, sometimes in bas-relief; diaperwork.

   “The troilled piece, that woven like a courſe gauze, and the lining in a diaper pattern, preſent ſamples which prove that the art of weaving was far advanced at that period.”

   “[…] a mode of treatment which is also—and perhaps in a much greater degree—frequent in early painting, where a flat ground of gold or bright colour, broken and enriched with stamped or painted diaper, outlines and relieves the subject.”

   “John's attack upon geometry began with an interest in his brother's box of bricks and in a diaper wallpaper.”

   “Diaper stenciling can be a combination of border and spot stenciling. Regularly spaced chalk lines are laid out on a floor in a simple diamond or square diaper pattern. The transverse chalk lines are stenciled with narrow bands of design or painted as solid stripes and become part of an overall pattern.”

   “The whole western front of that period (now an internal wall) was faced in large bricks, and the pointing done to receive painted diaper decoration, much of which still survives. It is difficult to date this build. Painted diaper work is not common before 1500, and so the wing may have been the work of Abbot Reeve or of Sir William Cordell after he acquired the Hall in 1554.”

6. (countable, historical, uncountable)A repeating geometrical or floral pattern, used to cover the surface of a shield and forming the ground for any charges.

   “Near-synonym: fur”

   “Yes doubtleſſe, and more ſtrictly: only they differ in ſome ſmall particulars; as ſome uſe ſtaines as much as colours, ſome charge their Scotcheons after a ſtrange maner with diaper as the french: ſome uſe round Scotcheons as the Italian, and ſuch like: otherwiſe tis all one, as you may ſee by the Armes of every kingdom.”

   “Diapering is ſaid, when the Field is ſhadowed with Flowerſhings, and various Turnings, by Purfels of Gold, or Silver, or other Colours, after the Form of Flowers or Leaves, as the Weaver's Diaper-Napery: The Germans practiſe it moſt in their illuminate Arms, but rarely the Britains, ſuch Diaperings are to be found in 'Armories.”

   “In the figure here exhibited the diaper field on the ſhield and furcoat ſeems to indicate that the croſs is in this inſance a badge, and not an armorial bearing; for heralds are agreed, that theſe diapered fields are the mere fancy of the painter, and not regular paternal bearings.”

7. (countable, obsolete, uncountable)A towel, napkin or tablecloth made from the diaper fabric (noun sense 2).

   “Let one attend him with a silver basin, […] / Another bear the ewer, the third a diaper.”

   “3 Pˢ Sheeting ditto. 1 Pˢ Cambrick. 2 Pˢ Table Diaper. 64 Pˢ Buckrams.”

   “An abbot lies here in a stone coffin, which about fifty years since was opened by some persons (as was thought, only for his crozier and ring). The body was there entire, and the diaper he was wrapt in perfectly fresh, an incident that seems surprising.”

   “And we take pleasure in particularizing many other specimens of elegance and usefulness, such as Stockings, Diapers, Blankets, Coverlids, and Carpeting.”

   “[…] lead-colored knitting cotton, cotton table diapers, printed and plain grass cloths, wicking and cotton laps, fine linen thread, […]”

verb

1. To put diapers on someone.

   “Diapering a baby is something you have to learn fast.”

   “It is pretty hard to make a mistake when diapering a baby. About the only way a person can go wrong is to put the diaper on backward, a condition that neither the diaperer nor the diaperee is likely to notice.”

   “I diaper myself or she helps Diaper me and sometimes I get to wet them, she knows I like that.”

2. To draw flowers or figures, as upon cloth.

   “If you diaper upon folds, let your work be broken.”

name

1. A surname.

   “Lord Orrery was President to-day; but both our dukes were absent. Brother Wyndham recommended [William] Diaper to the Society. I believe we shall make a contribution among ourselves, which I don't like.”

   “So this Susan Diaper was admitted Nov. 4, 1678. She married John Welham, and her son and heir, John Welham, was admitted Nov. 14, 1701.”

   “Sam carried the letters and parcels to these farms for many years until 1962 when his daughter Brenda and her husband, John Diaper, took over from him. He was also given a nice retirement present from these farmers.”

   “The 5ft 8in and 11st^([sic]) 1lb left half Bertie Diaper was born in Woolston, Southampton, 11 February 1909. In 1928, he started his playing career with Cowes FC, Isle of Wight, where he also became known also as a fine rowing oarsman. […] Diaper joined Fulham in May 1933 making a further 3 League appearances before his release.”