sap1
n.
- the fluid, chiefly water with dissolved sugars and mineral salts, circulating in the vascular system of a plant.
- vigour or energy.
v.
(saps, sapping, sapped)
gradually weaken (a person's strength or power).
▸
(sap someone of)
drain someone of (strength or power).
Derivative
Etymology
OE sæp, prob. of Gmc origin; the verb is derived orig. from the verb sap2, in the sense ‘undermine’.
sap2
n.
historical a tunnel or trench to conceal an assailant's approach to a fortified place.
v.
(saps, sapping, sapped)
- historical dig a sap.
- archaic make insecure by removing the foundations.
-
[often as noun sapping]
Geography undercut by water or glacial action.
Etymology
C16: from Fr. saper, from Ital. zappare, from zappa ‘spade, spadework’, prob. from Arab. sarab ‘underground passage’, or sabora ‘probe a wound, explore’.
sap3
n.
informal, chiefly N. Amer. a foolish person.
Etymology
C19: abbrev. of dial. sapskull ‘person with a head like sapwood’.