Sapping

Sapping
Sap Sap, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Sapped}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Sapping}.] [F. saper (cf. Sp. zapar, It. zapare), fr. sape a sort of scythe, LL. sappa a sort of mattock.] 1. To subvert by digging or wearing away; to mine; to undermine; to destroy the foundation of. [1913 Webster]

Nor safe their dwellings were, for sapped by floods, Their houses fell upon their household gods. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

2. (Mil.) To pierce with saps. [1913 Webster]

3. To make unstable or infirm; to unsettle; to weaken. [1913 Webster]

Ring out the grief that saps the mind. --Tennyson. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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