sap1
¦ noun
1. the fluid, chiefly water with dissolved sugars and mineral salts, circulating in the vascular system of a plant.
2. vigour or energy.
¦ verb (saps, sapping, sapped) gradually weaken (a person's strength or power).
?(sap someone of) drain someone of (strength or power).
Derivatives
sapless adjective
Origin
OE
s?p, prob. of Gmc origin; the verb is derived orig. from the verb
sap2, in the sense 'undermine'.
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sap2
¦ noun historical a tunnel or trench to conceal an assailant's approach to a fortified place.
¦ verb (saps, sapping, sapped)
1. historical dig a sap.
2. archaic make insecure by removing the foundations.
3. [often as noun sapping] Geography undercut by water or glacial action.
Origin
C16: from Fr. saper, from Ital. zappare, from zappa 'spade, spadework', prob. from Arab. sarab 'underground passage', or sabora 'probe a wound, explore'.
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sap3
¦ noun informal, chiefly N. Amer. a foolish person.
Origin
C19: abbrev. of dialect sapskull 'person with a head like sapwood'.
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sap4 US
informal, dated
¦ noun a bludgeon or club.
¦ verb (saps, sapping, sapped) hit with a sap.
Origin