# app
## English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /æp/
* (US) IPA: [æʔp̚]
* Audio (US):(file)
* Hyphenation: app
* Rhymes: -æp

### Etymology 1

Shortening of application.

#### Noun

app (plural apps)
* (computing, mobile telephony) An application (program), especially a small one designed for a mobile device.
** 1999 February, Maximum PC, volume 4, number 2:A visual tool can be thought of as a graphics app that generates most of your program's GUI code for you
** 1999, Jerry Bradenbaugh, JavaScript application cookbook, page xi:So is a spreadsheet app, but I'm not going to put those on a web site any time soon.
** 1999 November, AUUGN, volume 20, number 4, page 9:The Web browser was the killer app that kickstarted the Internet and, in turn, enabled it to be embedded in everything
** 2005 May, Popular Science, volume 266, number 5, page 78:Want realtime flight and gate updates? A calorie counter? A remote for your DVD player? Chances are there's an app for it. Smartphones separate themselves in another key area: connectivity
* (military) application (use, purpose; not a computer program)
** 1995, The X-Files (TV series), Nisei (episode)
    SCULLY: What are these chips used for? PENDRELL: Video games, brake systems, they're finding new apps every day. I just read about one being designed to help the severely disabled operate computers using brainwaves.
* (education, informal) application (to a college etc.)
** 2011, Nicole Leigh Shepherd, Stealing Bases:“Ky—please don't take this the wrong way—I actually have to wear a dress from our line. You know, to show off my marketing materials on my college app. So, I'm working on it with Hannah.”

##### Hyponyms

* API app
* app store
* clock app
* function app
* killer app
* logic app
* mobile app
* Web app

##### Derived terms

* appbar
* appification
* appisode
* appless
* applet
* app service
* app slave
* app wrapper
* bird app
* branded app
* in-app
* microapp
* multiapp
* postapp
* preapp
* super-app
* web app
* WhatsApp

##### Translations
### Etymology 2

Shortening of appetizer.

#### Noun

app (plural apps)
* (informal) appetizer
** 2007, Evelyn Spence, Explorer's Guide Colorado's Classic Mountain Towns:The food is some of Breck's best: apps like sweet potato gnocchi with smoked chicken and sage cream […]
** 2009, Robin Asbell, New Vegetarian:If you lay out a platter of these exciting, beautiful vegetarian appetizers, the other apps will pale in comparison.
** 2010, Bill Allen, Grillin', Chillin', and Swillin', page 1:This is not to say that we only serve apps at dinner parties. Quite the contrary; but for smaller gatherings, good appetizers can distinguish you as a host who puts more thought and effort into his or her party menu. Better yet, most apps are relatively easy to make […]

### Etymology 3

Shortening of appearance.

#### Noun

app (plural apps)
* (sports) An appearance in a game.
    That player has had ten apps this season.

### See also

* Appendix:American Dialect Society words of the year

### Anagrams

* pap, PPA, Pap, PAP

## Catalan
### Etymology

Borrowed from English app.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈap]

### Noun

app f (plural apps)
* app
    Synonyms: aplicació mòbil, apli

### Further reading

* “app” in termcat, Centre de Terminologia, 2025.

## Danish
### Etymology

From English app, shortened from application.

### Noun

app c (singular definite appen, plural indefinite apper or apps)
* (computing) app

#### Synonyms

* applikation
* mobilapp

#### Derived terms

* appudvikler
* mobilapp

### References

* “app” in Den Danske Ordbog

## Dutch
### Etymology

From English app. The senses pertaining to text messaging are influenced by the app name WhatsApp.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɛp/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: app
* Rhymes: -ɛp
* Homophone: eb

### Noun

app f or m (plural apps, diminutive appje n)
* an app
    Wat voor apps heb jij erop staan?What apps have you got on your phone?
* (Netherlands, typically in the diminutive) a text message sent using an app
    Stuur alsjeblieft even een appje zodra je veilig thuis bent.Please send a text as soon as you're home safe.
* (Netherlands) a chat on a text messaging app, particularly a group chat
    Ze ruzieden in de app van het studentenhuis.They had a fight in the student accommodation chat.

#### Derived terms

* appen
* appgroep
* buurtapp
* familieapp
* groepsapp

## Faroese
### Etymology

From English app, from application, from Latin applicātiō.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /aʰpː/
    Rhymes: -aʰpː

### Noun

app f (genitive singular appar, plural appir)
* (computing) app (for a mobile device)

#### Declension
## French
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Noun

app m (plural apps)
* Only used in bon app (“bon appétit”)

## Hungarian
### Etymology

Clipping of applikáció (“application”), from English application.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈɒpː]
* Hyphenation: app
* Rhymes: -ɒpː

### Noun

app (plural appok)
* (computing) app, application
    Synonyms: alkalmazás, applikáció

#### Declension
## Icelandic
### Etymology

Borrowed from English app, from application, from Latin applicātiō.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ahp/
    Rhymes: -ahp

### Noun

app n (genitive singular apps, nominative plural öpp)
* (computing) app (for a mobile device)
    Synonym: smáforrit

#### Declension
### Further reading

* “app” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)

## Italian
### Etymology

Borrowed from English app.

### Noun

app f (invariable)
* app

## Ludian
### Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *appi.

### Noun

app
* father-in-law

## Portuguese
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English app.

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈɛ.pi/, (initialism) /ˌaˌpeˈpe/
* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈɛ.pi/, (initialism) /ˌaˌpeˈpe/
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /ˈɛ.pe/, (initialism) /ˌaˌpeˈpe/
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈɛ.pɨ/, /ˈa.pɨ/, (initialism) /ˌaˌpeˈpe/

### Noun

app (Portugal) f or (Brazil) m (plural apps)
* (computing) app (small computer application)
    Synonyms: aplicação, (Brazil) aplicativo
** 2014, Peter Thiel, translated by Miguel Bôto, Zero to One, →ISBN, unnumbered page; republished as De Zero a Um, Leya, 2015:A realização de pequenas melhorias relativamente a algo que já existe poderá levá-lo a um máximo local, mas não o irá ajudar a alcançar o máximo global. Poderá desenvolver a melhor versão de uma app para encomendar papel higiénico através do iPhone, […](please add an English translation of this quotation)

### Further reading

* “app”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

## Spanish
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English app (with gender by association with aplicación f).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈap/ [ˈap]
** Rhymes: -ap
* IPA: /ˈapepe/ [ˈa.pe.pe]
** Rhymes: -apepe

### Noun

app m or f (plural apps)
* (computing) app
    Synonym: aplicación
** 2019 December 16, “Una app de citas descartará posibles parejas por su ADN”, in El País‎:Con la app de George Church, sus padres no se habrían conocido, porque habrían sido declarados incompatibles.(please add an English translation of this quotation)

#### Usage notes

* According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.
* Feminine nouns beginning with stressed /ˈa/ like app take the singular definite article el (otherwise reserved for masculine nouns) instead of the usual la: el app. This includes the contracted forms al and del (instead of a la and de la, respectively): al app, del app.
    These nouns also usually take the indefinite article un that is otherwise used with masculine nouns (although the standard feminine form una is also permitted): un app or una app. The same is true with determiners algún/alguna and ningún/ninguna, as well as for numerals ending with 1 (e.g., veintiún/veintiuna).
    However, if another word intervenes between the article and the noun, the usual feminine singular articles and determiners (la, una etc.) must be used: la mejor app, una buena app.
* If an adjective follows the noun, it must agree with the noun's gender regardless of the article used: el app única, un(a) app buena.
* In the plural, the usual feminine singular articles and determiners (las, unas etc.) are always used.
* In practice, this rule is often not followed and the form la app is widely used.

### Further reading

* Manuel Seco, Olimpia Andrés, Gabino Ramos (2023 August 3) “app”, in Diccionario del español actual [Dictionary of Current Spanish] (in Spanish), third digital edition, Fundación BBVA [BBVA Foundation]

## Swedish
### Noun

app c
* (computing) an app (especially on mobile phones and the like, like in English)
    Synonym: applikation

#### Derived terms

* mobilapp

### Interjection

app
* Expresses reproach; "Hey, don't do that!"
    App app app – den där får du inte äta. Den är till festen imorgon.App app app – you can't eat that one. It's for the party tomorrow.

#### Usage notes

Usually repeated.

### References

* app in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* app in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)