sap

/sæp/
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sap

A maple tree's sap drips slowly from a small tap into a metal bucket.

Definition

  1. Noun:

    • A watery fluid that circulates through a plant: This is the vital liquid in plants, containing water, sugars, minerals, and hormones, essential for nourishment and growth.
    • A foolish or gullible person: (Informal) A person who is easily deceived or lacks good judgment.
    • A covered club or bludgeon: A weapon, typically a piece of metal covered in leather with a flexible handle.

  2. Verb:

    • To gradually weaken or destroy: To undermine something's strength, energy, or power over time.
    • To drain of resources or vitality: To deplete or exhaust something, such as strength, finances, or morale.
    • To dig trenches or tunnels beneath: (Military) To approach or undermine an enemy position by digging.
Examples of Usage

  • Noun (Plant Fluid):

    • Maple sap is collected in early spring to make syrup.
    • The sap carries nutrients from the roots to the leaves.

  • Noun (Foolish Person):

    • Don't be such a sap; that email is an obvious scam.
    • He felt like a sap for believing the salesman's promises.

  • Verb (To Weaken):

    • The long illness began to sap her energy.
    • Constant criticism can sap an employee's confidence.

  • Verb (To Deplete):

    • The unexpected car repairs sapped my savings.
    • The team's strength was sapped by the intense heat.
Advanced Usage
  • "to sap (someone/something) of (something)": To drain a specific quality or resource from someone or something.
    • The bureaucratic process sapped the project of all its original momentum.
    • The tragedy sapped him of his joy.
Variants and Related Words

  • Sappy (adj):

    • Full of sap; juicy: The sappy wood was not yet dry enough to burn.
    • Excessively sentimental or emotional: (Informal) The movie's ending was too sappy for my taste.

  • Sapwood (n): The softer, younger outer layers of wood in a tree, through which the sap flows.

Synonyms
  • Noun (Fluid): fluid, juice.
  • Noun (Fool): fool, simpleton, dupe, pushover (informal).
  • Verb (Weaken): weaken, undermine, erode, drain, exhaust.
Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Sap" is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. The action is typically expressed directly: "sap [object]".)

Related Idioms
  • The sap is rising:
    • Literal: Refers to the springtime flow of sap in trees.
    • Figurative: Indicates a feeling of youthful energy, vitality, or restlessness, often associated with spring.
      • You can tell it's spring; the sap is rising in everyone.
sap

A maple tree's sap drips slowly from a small tap into a metal bucket.

Noun
  1. a piece of metal covered by leather with a flexible handle; used for hitting people
  2. a person who lacks good judgment
  3. a watery solution of sugars, salts, and minerals that circulates through the vascular system of a plant
Verb
  1. excavate the earth beneath
  2. deplete
    • exhaust one's savings
    • We quickly played out our strength

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