Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SAP'PED, pp.

Undermined; subverted.

SAP'PER, n.

One who saps. In an army, sappers and miners are employed in working at saps, to protect soldiers in their approach to a besieged place, or to undermine the works.

SAP'PHIC, a. [saf'ic.]

Pertaining to Sappho, a Grecian poetess; as, Sapphic odes; Sapphiv verse. The Sapphic verse consists of eleven syllables in five feet, of which the first, fourth and fifth are trochees, the second a spondee, and the third a dactyl, in the first three lines of each stanza, with a fourth consisting only of a dactyl and a spondee.

SAP'PHIRE, n. [L. sapphirus; Gr. σαπφειρος; from the Ar. سَفَرَ safara, to scrape, to shine, to be fair, open, beautiful; Ch. Syr. and Sam, to scrape, to shave.]

A species of silicious gems or minerals, of several varieties. In hardness it is inferior to the diamond only. Its colors are blue, red, violet, yellow, green, white, or limpid, and one variety is chatoyant, and another asteriated or radiated. Cleaveland. Sapphire is a subspecies of rhomboidial corundum. – Ure. Jameson. The oriental ruby and topaz are sapphires. – Ure. Sapphire is employed in jewelry and the arts.

SAP'PHIR-INE, a.

Resembling sapphire; made of sapphire; having the qualities of sapphire. Boyle.

SAP'PI-NESS, n. [from sappy.]

The state or quality of being full of sap; succulence; juiciness.

SAP'PING, ppr.

Undermining; subverting.

SAP'PY, a.¹ [Sax. sæpig.]

1. Abounding with sap; juicy; succulent. – Mortimer.
2. Young; not firm; weak. When he had passed this weak and sappy age. – Hayward.
3. Weak in intellect.

SAP'PY, a.² [Qu. Gr. σηπω, to putrefy.]

Musty; tainted. [Not in use.]

SAP-ROPH'A-GAN, a. [Gr. σαπρος and φαγω.]

Feeding on animal and vegetable substances in a state of decomposition.

SAP-ROPH'A-GAN, n.

An insect which feeds on substances in a state of decomposition.

SAP'-TUBE, n.

A vessel that conveys sap. – De Candolle.

SAP'-WOOD, n.

The external part of wood.

SAR'A-BAND, n. [Sp. zarabanda; Port. and It. sarabanda; Fr. sarabande.]

A dance and a tune used in Spain, said to be derived from the Saracens. – Sp. Dict. Encyc.

SAR'A-CEN, n.

An Arabian; so called from sara, a desert.

SAR-A-CEN'IC, a.

1. Pertaining to the Saracens, inhabitant of Arabia.
2. Denoting the architecture of the Saracens, the modern Gothic. – Johnson.

SAR'CASM, n. [L. sarcasmus; Gr. σαρκασμος, from σαρκαζω, to deride or sneer at, primarily to flay or pluck off the skin.]

A keen reproachful expression; a satirical remark or expression, uttered with some degree of scorn or contempt; a taunt; a gibe. Of this we have an example in the remark of the Jews respecting Christ, on the cross, “He save others, himself he can not save.”

SAR-CAS'TIC, or SAR-CAS'TIC-AL, a.

Bitterly satirical; scornfully severe; taunting. What a fierce and sarcastic reprehension would this have drawn from the friendship of the world. – South.

SAR-CAS'TIC-AL-LY, adv.

In a sarcastic manner; with scornful satire. – South.

SAR'CE-NET, n. [Qu. saracenicum or saracen, silk.]

A species of fine thin woven silk. – Dryden.

SAR'CO-CARP, n.¹ [Gr. σαρξ and καρπος.]

In botany, the fleshy part of a drupaceous pericarp, situated between the integument or skin, and the putamen, endocarp, or stone. – Lindley.

SAR-CO-CARP, n.²

The middle portion of the pericarp of a fruit. [1841 Addenda only.]

SAR'CO-CELE, n. [Gr. σαρξ, flesh, and κηλη, tumor.]

A fleshy and firm tumor of a testicle, with a simple vascular texture, not inflammatory. It is the Sarcoma vasculosum of Good.

SAR'CO-COL, or SAR-CO-COL'LA, n. [Gr. compounded of σαρξ, flesh, and κολλα, glue.]

A semi-transparent solid substance, imported from Arabia and Persia in grains of a light yellow or red color. It is an inspissated sap, supposed to be produced by a species Penæa. It has its name from its supposed use in healing wounds and ulcers. – Encyc.

SAR'CO-LINE, a. [Gr. σαρξ, flesh.]

In mineralogy, flesh-colored. – Shepard.