elapsus

Elapsus is a Latin term that generally conveys the sense of having slipped or having glided away. It derives from the verb elabi, meaning to slip or glide, and appears in the perfect passive participle form elapsus, with gendered variants such as elapsus (masculine), elapsa (feminine), and elapsum (neuter). In classical Latin, elapsus can function as either an adjective or a noun to indicate that something has slipped, escaped, or occurred by slipping.

In scholarly and literary Latin, elapsus is encountered mainly in phrases or as a stylistic device to express a lapse, failure, or passage of movement—often metaphorically for time, memory, speech, or judgment. It is most visible in historical or textual contexts rather than as a term used in everyday modern language.

In contemporary usage, elapsus is rare outside specialized contexts. It tends to appear in Latin phrases within academic writings, historical works, or Latin-tused scholarly titles rather than as a standalone term in modern scientific or common discourse. When translated or discussed in English, the related verb elapse is typically used to denote the passage of time, while elapsus retains its Latin nuance of something that has slipped or passed away.

Related terms include lapsus, which more commonly denotes a slip or lapse in memory or speech in Latin-derived modern languages, and elapse, the English verb describing the passage of time.