sack

sack¹

—sacklike, adj.

/sak/, n.

1. a large bag of strong, coarsely woven material, as for grain, potatoes, or coal.

2. the amount a sack holds.

3. a bag: a sack of candy.

4. Slang. dismissal or discharge, as from a job: to get the sack.

5. Slang. bed: I bet he's still in the sack.

6. Also, sacque.

a. a loose-fitting dress, as a gown with a Watteau back, esp. one fashionable in the late 17th century and much of the 18th century.

b. a loose-fitting coat, jacket, or cape.

7. Baseball. a base.

8. South Midland U.S. the udder of a cow.

9. hit the sack, Slang. to go to bed; go to sleep: He never hits the sack before midnight.

10. hold the sack. See bag (def. 18).

v.t.

11. to put into a sack or sacks.

12. Football. to tackle (the quarterback) behind the line of scrimmage before the quarterback is able to throw a pass.

13. Slang. to dismiss or discharge, as from a job.

14. sack out, Slang. to go to bed; fall asleep.

[bef. 1000; 1940-45 for def. 5; ME sak (n.), sakken (v.), OE sacc (n.) < L saccus bag, sackcloth < Gk sákkos < Sem; cf. Heb saq]

Regional Variation. See bag.

sack²

/sak/, v.t.

1. to pillage or loot after capture; plunder: to sack a city.

n.

2. the plundering of a captured place; pillage: the sack of Troy.

[1540-50; < MF phrase mettre à sac to put to pillage; sac, in this sense < It sacco looting, loot, shortened form of saccomano < MHG sakman pillager (conformed to sacco SACK¹)]

Syn. 1. spoil, despoil. See rob. 2. looting; destruction, ruin.

sack³

/sak/, n.

a strong light-colored wine formerly imported from Spain and the Canary Islands.

[1525-35; < F (vin) sec dry (wine) < L siccus dry; cf. SEC¹]

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