sapper

sapper
/sap"euhr/, n.
a soldier employed in the construction of fortifications, trenches, or tunnels that approach or undermine enemy positions.
[1620-30; SAP2 + -ER1]

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Military engineer.

The name is derived from the French word sappe ("trench"), which became connected with military engineering in the 17th century, when attackers dug covered trenches to approach the walls of a besieged fort and also undermined the walls by tunneling beneath them. In modern armies, sappers provide tactical support by carrying out construction, including earthworks, portable bridges, and tank traps; build major facilities such as airports, supply roads, fuel depots, and barracks; and handle additional tasks, including disarming and disposing of land mines and unexploded bombs and preparing and distributing maps.

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▪ British writer
pseudonym of  Herman Cyril Mcneile  
born Sept. 28, 1888, Bodmin, Cornwall, Eng.
died Aug. 14, 1937, West Chiltington, Sussex

      British soldier and novelist who won immediate fame with his thriller Bull-Dog Drummond (1920), subtitled “The Adventures of a Demobilized Officer Who Found Peace Dull.” Sapper published numerous popular sequels, but none had the impact and merit of the original.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sapper — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Agnes Sapper (1852–1929), deutsche Schriftstellerin Anna Sapper (1882–1969), deutsche Sprachlehrerin Eduard Sapper (1837–1898), deutscher Jurist Karl Sapper (1866–1945) Reisender, Sammler, Antiquar und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • sapper — SAPPER. v. a. Travailler avec le pic & la pioche à destruire les fondements d un édifice pour le faire tomber. Sapper une muraille, la sapper par le pied, par les fondements. Il se dit fig. En parlant de morale & de politique. Sapper les… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • sapper — Sapper, actiu. acut. Vient de ce mot Italien Zappa, Qui est l instrument dequoy l on fouyt en terre, ainsi sapper c est fouyr par le pied et fondement dans terre, et par metaphore on dit sapper une muraille, une tour, quand on luy fait evaser le… …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • Sapper — Sap per, n. [Cf. F. sapeur.] One who saps; specifically (Mil.), one who is employed in working at saps, building and repairing fortifications, and the like. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Sapper — Sapper, Karl, Geograph und Reisender, geb. 6. Febr. 1866 in Wittislingen bei Dillingen, studierte Naturwissenschaften in München, ging 1886 nach Guatemala, wo er in der Umgegend von Coban neben der Leitung von Kaffee und Kautschukplantagen… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • sapper — 1620s, in a military context; agent noun from SAP (Cf. sap) (v.) …   Etymology dictionary

  • sapper — ► NOUN 1) a military engineer who lays or detects and disarms mines. 2) Brit. a soldier in the Corps of Royal Engineers. ORIGIN from SAP(Cf. ↑sap) …   English terms dictionary

  • sapper — [sap′ər] n. 1. a soldier employed in digging saps, laying mines, etc. 2. a person or thing that saps …   English World dictionary

  • Sapper — For other uses, see Sapper (disambiguation). The sappers ( sapeurs ) of the French Foreign Legion traditionally sport large beards, wear leather aprons and gloves and carry axes …   Wikipedia

  • sapper — UK [ˈsæpə(r)] / US [ˈsæpər] noun [countable] Word forms sapper : singular sapper plural sappers British a soldier whose job is to dig tunnels and build or repair bridges and roads …   English dictionary

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