English

lapwork

From lap + work.

A compound of lap + work

Proto-Germanic *lappô ‘cloth’

Proto-West Germanic *lappō

Old English læppa ‘skirt or flap of a garment’

Middle English lappe

English lap

Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- ‘to make’

…

Proto-Germanic *werką

Proto-West Germanic *werk

Old English weorc ‘labor’

Middle English work

English work

Today it means

noun Work in which one part overlaps another.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.