First recorded in 1735–45; from Latin saccus “bag, sackcloth”; see sack 1
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
I see their faces -Greasy Sac and Madge and even the Peacekeepers who buy my meat cheering for us.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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.
