[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/w/hap.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The Judaism dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/) / hap

[← H](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/H/)

# hap

«hap» in Mova's judaism dictionary: **Luck or chance, especially something that happens by chance** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (hap, haps — old-fashioned); verb (hap, haps, happed, happing — old)

### meaning for a pupil

1) (old) Luck or chance, especially something that happens by chance. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/H/hap/#m1)

2) (old) An event that happens; «haps» means things that happen. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/H/hap/#m2)

3) (Scotland, northern England, dialect) To wrap up warmly; a «hap» is a warm shawl or blanket. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/H/hap/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: Ruth's "hap" was to come to Boaz's field, as if by chance. Interpretation: Tradition reads this seeming chance as God's quiet guidance leading Ruth to Boaz. In the primary lessons: In modern English «hap» is rarely used alone, but it is the root of common words: happen, happy, perhaps, mishap, haphazard, hapless. In old stories and the Bible-era English it means luck. In slang, «what's the haps?» (US) means «what's happening?». Phrases: by hap, what's the haps.

### examples

- And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and her hap was to light on the portion of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. (Writings RUT.2.3, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/H/hap/#x1)
- In old stories, «by hap» means «by chance». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/H/hap/#x2)
- «Happen» and «perhaps» both come from «hap». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/H/hap/#x3)
- A «mishap» is a small accident, a bit of bad hap. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/H/hap/#x4)
- Granny in Shetland happed the baby in a woolly shawl. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/H/hap/#x5)
- «What's the haps?» my cousin from California asked. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/H/hap/#x6)
- "What better hap could I look for, fool that I am!" [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/H/hap/#x7)

### note

Old and dialect word; do not use in school essays except when explaining word roots. Word family: happen, happy, perhaps, mishap, haphazard (by chance, without a plan), hapless (unlucky). Not to be confused with «hip» or «hop».

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «hap» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/H/hap/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.