Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
name
Initialism of Scientific Advisory Panel.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Initialism of South African Police.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: South-Africa, abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Initialism of South Africa Party.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: South-Africa, abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
SAP AG, derived from the German Initialism of Systeme, Anwendungen und Produkte in der Datenverarbeitung, one of the world's largest software companies.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences, software
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
The juice of plants of any kind, especially the ascending and descending juices or circulating fluid essential to nutrition.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
The sapwood, or alburnum, of a tree.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Any juice.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Vitality.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, figuratively, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A naive person; a simpleton.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, slang
Synonyms: milksop, saphead
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A narrow ditch or trench made from the foremost parallel toward the glacis or covert way of a besieged place by digging under cover of gabions, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: government, military, politics, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A short wooden club; a leather-covered hand weapon; a blackjack.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Initialism of statutory adoption pay, payments made by an employer to an employee who is absent from work after the adoption of a child.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Initialism of special access program.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
Topics: government, military, politics, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Abbreviation of second audio program.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
Topics: broadcasting, media, television
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Initialism of structural adjustment program.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
Topics: economics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Initialism of speech act participant.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Initialism of superabsorbent polymer.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: superabsorbent polymer, super-absorbent polymer, super absorbent polymer, superabsorbing polymer, super-absorbing polymer, super absorbing polymer
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Initialism of superabsorbent powder, made of superabsorbent polymer.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: superabsorbent powder, super-absorbent powder, super absorbent powder, superabsorbing powder, super-absorbing powder, super absorbing powder, superabsorbent polymer powder, super-absorbent polymer powder, super absorbent polymer powder, superabsorbing polymer powder, super-absorbing polymer powder, super absorbing polymer powder
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To exhaust the vitality of.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To drain, suck or absorb sap from (a tree, etc.).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To make unstable or infirm; to unsettle; to weaken.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To gradually drain (someone's energy or vitality).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To pierce with saps.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Topics: government, military, politics, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To subvert by digging or wearing away; to mine; to undermine; to destroy the foundation of.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To subvert by digging or wearing away; to mine; to undermine; to destroy the foundation of.
To proceed by mining, or by secretly undermining; to execute saps.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To strike with a sap (with a blackjack).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: slang, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
a piece of metal covered by leather with a flexible handle; used for hitting people
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: blackjack, cosh
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: bludgeon
noun
a person who lacks good judgment
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: fool, saphead, muggins, tomfool
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: simpleton, simple
Narrower terms: ass, clown, buffoon, flibbertigibbet, foolish woman, fucker, fathead, goof, goofball, bozo, jackass, goose, cuckoo, twat, zany, meshuggeneh, meshuggener, morosoph, putz, wally
noun
a watery solution of sugars, salts, and minerals that circulates through the vascular system of a plant
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: solution
Narrower terms: manna
verb
excavate the earth beneath
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: cave, undermine
verb
deplete
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: run down, exhaust, play out, tire
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: consume, eat up, use up, eat, deplete, exhaust, run through, wipe out
History
Abbreviation.
From Middle English sap, from Old English sæp (“juice, sap”), from Proto-West Germanic *sap (“sap, juice”) (compare Dutch sap, German Saft, Icelandic safi), from Proto-Indo-European *sab-, *sap- (“to taste”) (compare Welsh syb-wydd (“fir”), Latin sapa (“must, new wine”), Russian со́пли (sópli, “snivel”), Old Armenian համ (ham, “taste”), Avestan 𐬬𐬌-𐬱𐬁𐬞𐬀 (vi-šāpa, “having poisonous juices”), Sanskrit सबर् (sabar, “juice, nectar”)). More at sage. sap (“naive person”) is a clipping of sapskull (literally “person with sap in their skull”).
From French saper (compare Spanish zapar and Italian zappare) from sape (“sort of scythe”), from Late Latin sappa (“sort of mattock”). The sense evolution of from “subvert by digging” to “weaken” was influenced by the sense above “drain wood of sap” as trench warfare receded from public conscience.
Probably from sapling.
Across languages
200 source translations are retained for this English entry.
