sap

sap · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*sap-
2. Proto-West Germanic*sap
3. Old Englishsæp
4. Middle Englishsap
5. English todaysap

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”).

sap · verb, noun²

1. Late Latin · derived fromsappa“sort of mattock”
2. French · borrowed fromsaper
3. English todaysap

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.

sap · noun, verb³

Probably from sapling.

SAP · proper noun, noun⁴

Abbreviation.

Words from the same roots