sap
sap Lexical Profile
sap Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The vital fluid that circulates through the vascular system of a plant, carrying water and nutrients.
"In early spring, harvesters tap sugar maple trees to collect the sweet sap for making syrup."
A foolish, gullible, or easily deceived person (informal).
"He felt like a complete sap after falling for the obvious online scam."
Vitality, energy, or emotional vigor.
"Youthful sap and enthusiasm drove the young entrepreneurs to work through the night."
A deep, narrow trench or tunnel dug to approach or undermine an enemy's fortified position.
"The siege engineers excavated a concealed sap to reach the base of the fortress wall."
• verb
To gradually weaken, drain, or destroy a person's strength, vitality, or resolve.
"Weeks of humid weather and sleepless nights began to sap her energy."
To drain or extract the fluid from a plant or tree.
"Foresters carefully sap the pine trees to harvest resin without damaging the bark."
To undermine the foundations of a fortified structure by digging trenches or tunnels.
"During the medieval siege, miners worked in shifts to sap the castle walls."
• Rhymes for sap
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The botanical sense derives from Old English 'sæp', of Proto-Germanic origin. The verb meaning 'to weaken' comes from Middle French 'saper' (to undermine a wall by digging a trench), originally derived from Late Latin 'sappa' (a spade or hoe).