Lapsed

/læpst/ verb

Definition

Allowed something (like a membership, subscription, or contract) to expire by not renewing it, or to fall back into old habits.

Etymology

From 'lapse' (Latin 'lapsus' meaning fallen, from 'labi' meaning to slip or fall). The term entered English in the 1500s meaning a temporary fall or failure, then shifted to mean allowing continuity to break.

Kelly Says

In legal and religious contexts, 'lapsed' has very specific meanings—a lapsed Catholic is someone who no longer practices, while 'lapse of rights' is when you legally lose something by not using it, showing how one word carries weight in specialized vocabularies.

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