I.a falling, fall; a slipping, sliding, gliding, running, flowing, flying, flight, etc. (class.).
I. Lit.: “ac celeri ferme percurrunt fulmina lapsu,” Lucr. 6, 324: “atque ea, quae lapsu tandem cecidere vetusto, Cic. poët. Div. 1, 11, 19: infrenis equi lapsu jacens,” Verg. A. 10, 750: “tum quassao nutant turres, lapsumque minantur,” Luc. 6, 136: “horrere lapsus tectorum assiduos,” Juv. 3, 8.—Of a landslide: “locus recenti lapsu terrae abruptus,” Liv. 21, 36, 2: “lapsu scalarum exanimatus,” by falling down stairs, Plin. 7, 37, 37, § 124: “ut neque sustinere se a lapsu possent,” Liv. 21, 35 fin.: “puerilium dentium,” the shedding, Sen. Ben. 4, 6, 6: “si lacus emissus lapsu et cursu suo ad mare profluxisset,” Cic. Div. 1, 44, 100: “(stellae) certo lapsu spatioque feruntur,” course, id. ib. 1, 11, 17; cf.: “medio volvuntur sidera lapsu,” Verg. A. 4, 524: “molli zephyros descendere lapsu adspiciunt,” Val. Fl. 1, 686: “accepere deae, celerique per aethera lapsu, periere, etc.,” id. 1, 91: “volucrum lapsus,” flight, Cic. N. D. 2, 39, 99; cf.: facili lapsu ad deos pervolare, id. Fragm. ap. Lact. 3, 18 (19), 6: “gemini lapsu delubra ad summa dracones Effugiunt,” Verg. A. 2, 225: “vitis serpens multiplici lapsu et erratico,” Cic. de Sen. 15, 52: “rotarum,” i. e. rolling wheels, Verg. A, 2, 236 (cf. τροχῶν βάσεις, Soph. Elect. 718; “and remigium alarum = alae,” Verg. A. 1, 301): arte materna rapidos morantem Fluminum lapsus, i. e. flumina, Hor. C. 1, 12, 10. —
B. Transf., of the effects of a fall; in plur.: contra ulcera, rupta, lapsusque, bruises, contusions received in falling, Plin. 22, 17, 20, § 43.—
II. Trop., a failing, error, fault (rare but class.): “amor lapsum animi ludificat,” Plaut. Cist. 2, 1, 11: “ab omni lapsu continere temeritatem,” to restrain one's rashness in believing from leading him into error, Cic. Ac. 1, 12, 45: “cum sint populares multi variique lapsus,” of losing popularity, id. de Or. 2, 83, 339: “haud alius fidei pronior lapsus, quam ubi, etc.,” Plin. 5, 1, 1, § 12.
