sac
noun
a baglike structure in an animal, plant, or fungus, as one containing fluid.
Showing results for "sac"
- a variation of Sauk.
sac
1 American
[sak]
/ sæk /
noun
-
sacs
plural
Sac
2
American
[sak, sawk]
/ sæk, sɔk /
noun
-
Sacs,
plural
-
Sac
plural
SAC
3
American
[sak]
/ sæk /
Or
S.A.C.
noun
sac
1
British
/ sæk /
noun
SAC
2
British
abbreviation
sac
Scientific
/ săk /
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sac
First recorded in 1735–45; from Latin saccus “bag, sackcloth”; see sack 1
Explanation
A sac is a hollow space or container. While any pocket or pouch can be called a sac, the word usually refers to a small enclosed space that occurs in nature, like a spider's egg sac or a squid's ink sac. You might put your groceries in a sack, but without the “k” a sac is smaller and attached to a plant or animal. Human fetuses grow inside an amniotic sac, and seed plants produce pollen inside sacs as well. Since the mid-1700s, sac has been used to mean "biological pocket," from the Latin root word saccus, or "bag." If you’re not sure which sac to use, it’s almost always the other one unless you’re in biology class.
Vocabulary lists containing sac
Commonly Confused Words, List 4
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Unit 2: Evolution
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Benefits of Being an Octopus
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The larvae can alter the pH of the sac walls, causing the resilin to expand or contract.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
In a dark room, a doctor pointed to an hourglass shape glowing on the ultrasound screen: There was her amniotic sac, funneling into her dilated cervix, and there was their tiny daughter’s foot, dipping out.
From Salon ● May 27, 2026
Meanwhile, the cul de sac, a street design much in favor with the architects of suburban developments, have become artificial catchments for these highly flammable weeds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025
Knee and ankle issues began in 2017, then two years later she needed treatment for pericarditis - an inflammation of the fluid-filled sac around the heart - which was potentially career-ending.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2025
Up overhead, in the shadows of the ceiling, Charlotte crouched unseen, her front legs encircling her egg sac.
From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White
Now, Sac City sports 70 blooming creations, including entries from the Red Hats women’s group, the sheriff’s office—and the police.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025
"We've got to flush this one down the toilet and get ready for Sac," said Kerr, whose side face the Sacramento Kings in their next match.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2025
Boys and girls cross country qualify for CIF Finals next Saturday at My Sac.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 17, 2024
“Trump stood up for the people,” said Brett Potthoff, 30, an engineer from Sac City, Iowa, who considered caucusing for Mr. DeSantis but ultimately said he would support Mr. Trump.
From New York Times ● Jan. 21, 2024
“Omaha, Nebraska. Sac City, Iowa. Alexandria, Indiana. Darwin, Minnesota. Hollywood, California. Alliance, Nebraska. Okay. Those are the locations of all the things she—well, or whoever read this book—found interesting.”
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
Defra says it may not be necessary to make this area of maerl beds an SAC, "nor is there a requirement, to protect all examples of a species or habitats."
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
The situation has already led to limits being placed on housebuilding along SAC rivers.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2025
SAC Cross Country Invitational, including in the prominent meet’s team sweepstakes race.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2025
SAC course record with a time of 14:38.5 in Division 2.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 23, 2024
The darkened space was lit mainly by the Big Board—a massive wall of screens displaying maps plotting the positions of SAC planes and enemy forces.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
The Sacs and Fox mined and smelted 60 tons of lead for Shreve.
From Time Magazine Archive
The tribes, or rather fragments of tribes, represented at this meeting, were the Ottawas, Ojibwas, Pottawattamies, Miamis, Sacs, and Wyandots.
From The Conspiracy of Pontiac and the Indian War after the Conquest of Canada by Francis Parkman
It is also extending down the river, among the Sacs and Foxes.
From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol III, No 13, 1851 by Various
PIT-A-LE-SHAR´-U. In a beautiful wooded region, near the Missouri River, were the villages of the Iowas and Sacs.
From Legends of The Kaw The Folk-Lore of the Indians of the Kansas River Valley by Carrie de Voe
A description of heaven—by Wampasha, an Iowa Indian—was found in the diary of Reverend S. M. Irvin, a devoted missionary among the Iowas and Sacs.
From Legends of The Kaw The Folk-Lore of the Indians of the Kansas River Valley by Carrie de Voe
The sacs survived pressures equal to those found at depths of more than 400 meters, which is far deeper than the larvae normally travel during their daily migration.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
The researchers next placed the larvae inside miniature pressure chambers to determine how much pressure the air sacs could withstand before collapsing.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
Caitlin and Grace had been believed to be fraternal twins because they developed in different amniotic sacs, but doctors found their markers were exactly the same while assessing Grace as a potential stem cell donor.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
In another chapter, Mr. Haskell follows the path of an owlet moth into the cranefly orchid’s flower and lets us watch how sacs of pollen attach themselves to the insect’s eye.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
She drank from the edge of the pool, careful to keep the delicate eggs sacs on her abdomen out of the water.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
