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sap

 - 12 dictionary results

sap

1[sap] noun, verb, sapped, sap⋅ping.
–noun
1. the juice or vital circulating fluid of a plant, esp. of a woody plant.
2. any vital body fluid.
3. energy; vitality.
4. sapwood.
5. Slang. a fool; dupe.
6. Metallurgy. soft metal at the core of a bar of blister steel.
–verb (used with object)
7. to drain the sap from.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE sæp; c. D sap; akin to G Saft juice, ON safi; in def. 5 a shortening of saphead

sap

2[sap] noun, verb, sapped, sap⋅ping.
–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)
2. Fortification.
a. to approach (a besieged place or an enemy position) by means of deep, narrow trenches protected by gabions or parapets.
b. to dig such trenches in (ground).
3. to undermine; weaken or destroy insidiously.
–verb (used without object)
4. Fortification. to dig a sap.

Origin:
1585–95; < F sape (n.), deriv. of saper to dig a trench < It zappare, a military term, based on zappa hoe (cf. dial. It zappo he-goat < ?)


3. impair, enfeeble, deplete, exhaust, enervate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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sap 1   (sāp)   
n.  
    1. The watery fluid that circulates through a plant, carrying food and other substances to the various tissues.

    2. The fluid contents of a plant cell vacuole.

  1. An essential bodily fluid.

  2. Health and energy; vitality.

  3. Slang A gullible person; a dupe.

  4. A leather-covered hand weapon; a blackjack.

tr.v.   sapped, sap·ping, saps
  1. To drain of sap.

  2. To hit or knock out with a sap.


[Middle English, from Old English sæp.]
sap 2   (sāp)   
n.  A covered trench or tunnel dug to a point near or within an enemy position.
v.   sapped, sap·ping, saps

v.   tr.
  1. To undermine the foundations of (a fortification).

  2. To deplete or weaken gradually.

v.   intr.
To dig a sap.

[Obsolete French sappe or Italian zappa, hoe, from Old French and Old Italian, both from Late Latin sappa.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
sap

  1. n.
    a stupid person. : That poor sap thinks he can convince them.
  2. n.
    a blackjack. (Underworld.) : Bart had a sap in his pocket when they arrested him for possession.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

sap  (n.1)
"liquid in a plant," O.E. sæp, from P.Gmc. *sapom (cf. M.L.G., M.Du., Du. sap, O.H.G. saf, Ger. Saft "juice"), from PIE *sapon- (cf. L. sapere "to taste"), from base *sab- "juice, fluid" (cf. Skt. sabar- "sap, milk, nectar").

sap  (n.2)
"simpleton," 1815, probably from earlier sapskull (1735), from sap as a shortened form of sapwood "soft wood between the inner bark and the heartwood," from sap (n.1) + wood, so called because it conducts the sap; cf. sappy.

sap  (v.)
"weaken or destroy insidiously," 1755, originally "dig a trench toward the enemy's position" (1598), from M.Fr. saper, from sappe "spade," from L.L. sappa "spade" (cf. It. zappa, Sp. zapa "spade"). The sense of "weaken" probably was influenced by the verb (1725) form of sap (n.1) on the notion of "draining the vital sap from."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: sap
—see CELL SAP, NUCLEARSAP
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Computing Dictionary

SAP
1. SAP AG (Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing).
2. Service Advertising Protocol.
3. Service Access Point.
4. Symbolic Assembler Program.
(1999-05-26)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
SAP
  1. service access point

  2. soon as possible (shortwave transmission)

The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

sap

watery fluid of plants. Cell sap is a fluid found in the vacuoles (small cavities) of the living cell; it contains variable amounts of food and waste materials, inorganic salts, and nitrogenous compounds. Xylem sap carries soil nutrients (e.g., dissolved minerals) from the root system to the leaves; the water is then lost through transpiration. Maple sap is xylem sap, containing some sugar in late winter. Phloem, or sieve-tube, sap is the fluid carrying sugar from leaves to other parts of the plant in the summer. See also cohesion hypothesis.

Learn more about sap with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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