n. 1. a. The watery fluid that circulates through a plant, carrying food and other substances to the various tissues. b. See cell sap. 2. Health and energy; vitality: The constant bickering drained his sap away. 3. Slang A foolish or gullible person. tr.v. sapped, sap·ping, saps 1. To drain (a tree, for example) of sap. 2. To deplete or weaken gradually: The noisy children sapped all my energy. The flu sapped him of his strength. See Synonyms at deplete. [Middle English, from Old English sæp. V., sense 2, probably partly from SAP2 (taken as "to weaken (resistance) as by draining of sap.").] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
n. A leather-covered bludgeon with a short, flexible shaft or strap, used as a hand weapon. tr.v. sapped, sap·ping, saps To hit or knock out with a sap. [Probably short for SAPLING, since the bludgeons were made from wood from saplings.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.