Phrase guide

lapsus plumæ

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: lăpʹsəs.plo͞oʹmē
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌlæpsəsˈpluːmiː/
  • Received-Pronunciation: lăpʹso͞os.plo͞oʹmē
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌlæpsuːsˈpluːmiː/

1

noun

Meaning 1

Synonym of slip of the pen.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: formal

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: writo; miswriting; misprint; typo

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lapsus calami, writo, miswriting, misprint, typo, slip of the pen

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

First attested in 1844; Latin: lāpsus (“a slipping”; in the plural lāpsūs, “slippings”, the nominative plural form of lāpsus) + plūmae (“of the feather or plume”, the genitive singular form of plūma, “feather”, “plume”) = “a slipping of the feather” ≈ “a lapse of the plume” ≈ “a slip of the quill”; compare lapsus linguae and the English-coined French phrase nom de plume.