sap

[sap]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sap ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the juice or vital circulating fluid of a plant, especially of a woody plant.

any vital body fluid.

energy; vitality.

sapwood.

Slang. a fool; dupe.

Metallurgy. soft metal at the core of a bar of blister steel.

verb (used with object), sapped, sap·ping.

to drain the sap from.

Nearby words

Origin of sap

before 900; Middle English; Old English sæp; cognate with Dutch sap; akin to German Saft juice, Old Norse safi; in def. 5 a shortening of saphead

sap

[sap]

noun

Fortification. a deep, narrow trench constructed so as to form an approach to a besieged place or an enemy's position.

verb (used with object), sapped, sap·ping.

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).

to undermine; weaken or destroy insidiously.

verb (used without object), sapped, sap·ping.

Fortification. to dig a sap.

Origin of sap

1585–95; < French sape (noun), derivative of saper to dig a trench < Italian zappare, a military term, based on zappa hoe (compare dialectal Italian zappo he-goat < ?)

SYNONYMS FOR sap

3. impair, enfeeble, deplete, exhaust, enervate.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sap ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sap

Anybody with any sap running will probably be out of step with the general parade, at least early on.
Daniel Woodrell: How I Write|Noah Charney|September 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Like a picador, he takes his time to sap the strength of his foes before clubbing them unconscious.
Vitali Klitschko Contemplates Bowing Out of the Ring and Entering Ukrainian Politics|Gordon Marino|March 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
An increase in the dividend tax rate is likely to sap the value of stocks whose main appeal is the dividends they throw off.
Why Walmart Will Be Hurt by the Fiscal Cliff|Daniel Gross|December 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Put another way, the termination of these benefits will sap $30 billion from the buying power of lower-income American consumers.
Why Walmart Will Be Hurt by the Fiscal Cliff|Daniel Gross|December 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST

AQAP wants to drag America into what it calls another “bleeding war” like Afghanistan and Iraq to sap American resources and will.
Al Qaeda’s ‘Final Trap’ in Yemen: Costly Demise Planned for U.S.|Bruce Riedel|May 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I had brought my "Malmaison" and "Sultan of Morocco" roses with me, and also my budding-knife and the sap for budding.
Dr. Dumany's Wife|Mr Jkai
I wanted him to turn out a set of harness, and take the cow and the sap troughs.
The Pioneers|James Fenimore Cooper
No long line of sap to protect you here, and always a chance of a dropping bullet.
Australia in Arms|Phillip F.E. Schuler
They sometimes speak of it as swelling in the waters, and often refer to the sap as a “drop” (indu).
A History of Sanskrit Literature|Arthur A. MacDonell
The “blood of trees” was the name for sap; sap was water impregnated or vitalized by Soma, the essence of life.
Indian Myth and Legend|Donald Alexander Mackenzie

British Dictionary definitions for sap

sap

noun

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

verb saps, sapping or sapped (tr)

to drain of sap

Derived Formssapless, adjective

Word Origin for sap

Old English sæp; related to Old High German sapf, German Saft juice, Middle Low German sapp, Sanskrit sabar milk juice

noun

a deep and narrow trench used to approach or undermine an enemy position, esp in siege warfare

verb saps, sapping or sapped

to undermine (a fortification, etc) by digging saps

(tr) to weaken

Word Origin for sap

C16 zappe, from Italian zappa spade, of uncertain origin; perhaps from Old Italian (dialect) zappo a goat

SAP

abbreviation for

South African Police

SAP

n acronym for (in Britain)

Standard Assessment Procedure, the recognized performance indicator for measuring energy efficiency in buildings

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sap

sap

n.1

"liquid in a plant," Old English sæpm from Proto-Germanic *sapam (cf. Middle Low German, Middle Dutch, Dutch sap, Old High German saf, German Saft "juice"), from PIE *sab- "juice, fluid" (cf. Latin sapere "to taste"), from root *sab- "juice, fluid" (cf. Sanskrit sabar- "sap, milk, nectar," Irish sug, Russian soku "sap," Lithuanian sakas "tree-gum"). As a verb meaning "To drain the sap from," 1725.

sap

n.2

"simpleton," 1815, originally especially in Scottish and English schoolboy slang, probably from earlier sapskull (1735), saphead (1798), from sap as a shortened form of sapwood "soft wood between the inner bark and the heartwood" (late 14c.), from sap (n.1) + wood (n.); so called because it conducts the sap; cf. sappy.

v.1

"dig a trench toward the enemy's position," 1590s, from Middle French saper, from sappe "spade," from Late Latin sappa "spade" (cf. Italian zappa, Spanish zapa "spade"). Extended sense "weaken or destroy insidiously" is from 1755, probably influenced by the verb form of sap (n.1), on the notion of "draining the vital sap from." Related: Sapped; sapping.

n.3

"club, stick for hitting," 1899, from shortening of sapwood (see sap (n.2)) or sapling.

v.2

"hit with a sap," 1926, from sap (n.3). Related: Sapped; sapping.

Science definitions for sap

sap

[săp]

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.

sap

noun

verb (used with object), sapped, sap·ping.

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Nearby words

Origin of sap

sap

noun

verb (used with object), sapped, sap·ping.

verb (used without object), sapped, sap·ping.

Origin of sap

Examples from the Web for sap

sap

noun

verb saps, sapping or sapped (tr)

Word Origin for sap

noun

verb saps, sapping or sapped

Word Origin for sap

SAP

abbreviation for

SAP

n acronym for (in Britain)

sap

sap

sap