sap

¹

[sap]

noun

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

2. any vital body fluid.

3. energy; vitality.

4. sapwood.

5. Slang.,  a fool; sucker; dupe.

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

verb (used with object)

sapped, sapping 

1. to drain the sap from.

sap

²

[sap]

noun

1. 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, sapping 

1. to undermine; gradually or insidiously weaken or destroy.

   Synonyms: undermine, weaken, tire, impair, exhaust, enfeeble, enervate, drain, deplete

2. Fortification.

   1. to approach (a besieged place or an enemy position) by means of deep, narrow trenches protected by gabions or parapets.

   2. to dig such trenches in (ground).

verb (used without object)

sapped, sapping 

1. Fortification.,  to dig a sap.

sap

³

[sap]

noun

1. a short club with a heavy tip that is used as a weapon; blackjack; bludgeon.

   The burglar carried a set of lockpicks and a sap.

verb (used with object)

1. to hit (someone) with a club.

   If he tries to sneak out, I'll sap him over the head.

sap

¹

/ sæp /

noun

1. a solution of mineral salts, sugars, etc, that circulates in a plant

2. any vital body fluid

3. energy; vigour

4. slang,  a gullible or foolish person

5. another name for sapwood

verb

1. to drain of sap

SAP

²

abbreviation

1. South African Police

SAP

³

/ sæp /

acronym

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

sap

⁴

/ sæp /

noun

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

verb

1. to undermine (a fortification, etc) by digging saps

2. (tr) to weaken

sap

1. 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.

2. See cell sap

Other Word Forms

• sapless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sap¹

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

Origin of sap²

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”

Origin of sap³

First recorded in 1895–1900; perhaps shortening of sapling or sapwood (used as a tool or weapon)

Word History and Origins

Origin of sap¹

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

Origin of sap²

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

Example Sentences

Populism, fiscal recklessness, and a collapse of civic discourse are sapping resilience from the inside out.

Read more on Barron's

Shoulder and oblique injuries in his final seasons in Japan had sapped his velocity.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“With so much business investment and consumer spending dependent on exuberance about AI, any disappointments could sap the current economic momentum and expose the negative impact of tariffs, immigration restrictions, and other policies,” she said.

Read more on Barron's

New Jersey has the nation’s highest top state tax rate on corporate income, which saps investment in poor and rich places.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The strikes portend a tough winter ahead for Ukraine, as Russia aims to make life harder for Ukrainians and sap their morale.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• blunt 
• deplete 
• destroy 
• drain 
• erode 
• exhaust 
• impair 
• ruin 
• undermine 
• vitiate 
• wreck