to undermine; gradually or insidiously weaken or destroy.
Fortification.
to approach (a besieged place or an enemy position) by means of deep, narrow trenches protected by gabions or parapets.
to dig such trenches in (ground).
a solution of mineral salts, sugars, etc, that circulates in a plant
any vital body fluid
energy; vigour
slang a gullible or foolish person
another name for sapwood
to undermine (a fortification, etc) by digging saps
(tr) to weaken
The watery fluid that circulates through a plant that has vascular tissues. Sap moving up the xylem carries water and minerals, while sap moving down the phloem carries water and food.
See cell sap
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English sæp; cognate with Dutch sap; akin to German Saft juice, Old Norse safi; sap 1 in def. 5 a shortening of saphead
First recorded in 1585–95; from French noun sape “spade, spadework,” derivative of saper “to dig a trench,” from Italian zappare “to undermine,” a military term, based on zappa “hoe”
First recorded in 1895–1900; perhaps shortening of sapling or sapwood (used as a tool or weapon)
To sap something is to drain or deplete something over time. If you sap a maple tree, you drain the liquid inside it to make maple syrup. But if you sap a person of strength, you've rendered him defenseless. Whether used as a noun or verb, sap is rarely a good thing. If your energy or will is sapped, it’s not meant lightly; it means you have been exhausted of all your reserve energy, you’re reduced to a shell. If someone calls you "a sap," it suggests you lack strength and character. And if you get sap — the sticky liquid inside a tree — on your hands, good luck getting it off in the middle of a forest without a bar of soap and running water. Yuck.
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The creation of Nabu and Sap was a requirement set by the European Commission and International Monetary Fund in 2014, in order to move towards a relaxation of visa restrictions.
From BBC • Aug. 2, 2025
Sap looks down at the crowd raving below.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 28, 2023
Sap can circulate in below-freezing weather if a palms’ roots stay warm; skirts of leaves warming the trunk can also help, he said.
From Slate • Sep. 5, 2023
“The ‘Sparks of A.G.I.’ is an example of some of these big companies co-opting the research paper format into P.R. pitches,” said Maarten Sap, a researcher and professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
From New York Times • May 16, 2023
O Fruition, dear Sis, the Spirit of Liberty stirs the Countryside like Sap, & everywhere I am sensible of the Blossoms.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
