lapses

Lapse, in its broad sense, is a noun and a verb that denotes a temporary failure to maintain a standard or an interruption of continuity, as well as an interval of time between events. The term is used across a range of fields, including psychology, law, medicine, and general usage, to describe deviations from accuracy, attention, or continuity.

Memory lapses are common experiences of forgetting details, dates, or names, often influenced by age, stress, or fatigue. Attention lapses are moments of reduced concentration that can occur during monotonous tasks or driving, sometimes contributing to mistakes or accidents. Lapses in judgment refer to temporary missteps in decision-making.

In legal and administrative contexts, a lapse can mean loss of validity or enforceability, such as a lapsed license or lapsed insurance policy when payments or renewals are missed. A contract can lapse if conditions are not satisfied. The verb form to lapse also means to slide into a different state, as in lapse into sleep or silence.

In media and science, time lapse refers to a sequence showing changes over a period; the term broadens to descriptions of intervals and progressions in various fields. Etymology traces to Latin lapsus meaning a slip. Lapses range in significance from trivial to clinically relevant, depending on context.