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sap¹ Definition

sap (sap)

noun

  1. the juice that circulates through a plant, esp. a woody plant, bearing water, food, etc. to the tissues
  2. any fluid vital to the life or health of an organism
  3. vigor; vitality
  4. Etymology: < saphead

    Slang a stupid person; fool

Etymology: ME < OE sæp, akin to Ger saft < IE base *sab-, var. of *sap-, to taste, perceive > L sapere, to taste, know

transitive verb sapped, sap·ping

to drain of sap

sap¹ Related Forms

sap·less adjective

sap² Definition

sap (sap)

noun

an extended, narrow trench for approaching or undermining an enemy position or fortification

Etymology: MFr sappe < the v.

transitive verb sapped, sap·ping

  1. to undermine by digging away foundations; dig beneath
  2. to undermine in any way; weaken; exhaust

Etymology: MFr sapper < sappe, a hoe < VL sappa, orig. he-goat, prob. < Illyrian *zapp-

intransitive verb

  1. to dig saps
  2. to approach an enemy's position by saps

sap³ Definition

sap (sap)

noun

Slang a blackjack, short club, etc.

Etymology: prob. orig. contr. < sapling

transitive verb sapped, sap·ping

Slang to hit on the head, or knock out, with a sap

sap Synonyms

sap

n.

  1. The life fluid of a plant

    fluid, secretion, essence; see juice.

  2. A vital fluid

    lifeblood, precious fluid, substance; see blood 1.

  3. *A dupe

    dolt, gull, simpleton; see fool 1.

sap Synonyms

sap

v.

weaken, undermine, exhaust, subvert; see drain 1, 2, 3, weaken 2. See syn. study at weaken.

sap Usage Examples

Object

  • morale: The cathedral must be saved, he said damage to the fabric would sap the morale of the country.
  • insect: Red spider mites are sap sucking insects that can reduce the vigor of plants.
  • will: There are many things that can support or sap the will of programmers considering the unified model of service delivery.
  • foundation: Many influences had, however, for some time been silently sapping the foundations of the old system.
  • strength: These can easily sap the strength of a poem.
  • confidence: Who can doubt that the scandal of loans for peerages and the NHS crisis have sapped public confidence in Labor?

Converse of object

  • rise: Incorrect pruning during late March, April and May can induce ' bleeding ' where the rising sap weeps from the tree.
  • contain: If leaves contain acidic sap, the anthocyanins will appear red and if the sap is less acidic, they will go purple.

Adjective modifier

  • milky: The active agents in all of these are either contained within the milky sap or the juice of crushed seeds.
  • sugary: Seen under the microscope these stipules have small droplet of what I assume to be sugary sap in the hollow underneath.
  • poor: The poor, naïve sap thought he would actually pick up a pencil.

Modifying Another Word

  • really: Time of year In the wetter months, the off-road sections can get extremely claggy which can really sap your energy.
  • much: The film paves a little too much sap with sobbing tragic love.
  • also: Bird droppings and tree sap also damage your cars paintwork and need removing on a regular basis, if not as soon as possible.

Noun used with modifier

tree: Is it mostly dry but with wet slippy bits under the trees where the tree sap has fallen?

Present participle complement

rise: And as the grinding gears of the plot push us ever further into a corner, we can feel the sap rising around us.

Preposition: of

  • tree: Many people are allergic to the sap of pine trees.
  • plant: Insufficient supply causes the sap of the plant to be less concentrated.

Preposition: from

  • plant: Aphids Small insects that feed by sucking the sap from plants.
  • leave: The bast is a thin layer formed of tiny channels which carry sugar sap downward from the leaves into the roots.

Browse dictionary entries near sap

  1. santur
  2. Santos
  3. santonin
  4. santonica
  5. santolina
  6. Santo Domingo
  7. Santiago de Cuba
  8. Santiago
  9. Santeria
  10. Santee
  1. sapajou
  2. sapanwood
  3. saphead
  4. saphena
  5. SAPI
  6. sapid
  7. sapience
  8. sapient
  9. sapiential
  10. Sapir