sack1

[sak] /sæk/
noun
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.
  1. a loose-fitting dress, as a gown with a Watteau back, especially one fashionable in the late 17th century and much of the 18th century.
  2. a loose-fitting coat, jacket, or cape.
7.
Baseball. a base.
8.
South Midland U.S. the udder of a cow.
verb (used with object)
9.
to put into a sack or sacks.
10.
Football. to tackle (the quarterback) behind the line of scrimmage before the quarterback is able to throw a pass.
11.
Slang. to dismiss or discharge, as from a job.
Verb phrases
12.
sack out, Slang. to go to bed; fall asleep.
Idioms
13.
hit the sack, Slang. to go to bed; go to sleep:
He never hits the sack before midnight.
14.
hold the sack. bag (def 26).
Origin
before 1000; 1940-45 for def 5; Middle English sak (noun), sakken (v.), Old English sacc (noun) < Latin saccus bag, sackcloth < Greek sákkos < Semitic; compare Hebrew śaq
Related forms
sacklike, adjective
Regional variation note
See bag.

sack2

[sak] /sæk/
verb (used with object)
1.
to pillage or loot after capture; plunder:
to sack a city.
noun
2.
the plundering of a captured place; pillage:
the sack of Troy.
Origin
1540-50; < Middle French phrase mettre à sac to put to pillage; sac, in this sense < Italian sacco looting, loot, shortened form of saccomano < Middle High German sakman pillager (conformed to sacco sack1)
Synonyms
1. spoil, despoil. See rob. 2. looting; destruction, ruin.

sack3

[sak] /sæk/
noun
1.
a strong light-colored wine formerly imported from Spain and the Canary Islands.
Origin
1525-35; < French (vin) sec dry (wine) < Latin siccus dry; cf. sec1
Examples from the web for sack
  • Following it leads to the sack the stepmother dragged in earlier.
  • He puts the boys in the sack instead, then takes it to the mill.
  • One incident was of an elderly man who could not lift a heavy sack.
British Dictionary definitions for sack

sack1

/sæk/
noun
1.
a large bag made of coarse cloth, thick paper, etc, used as a container
2.
Also called sackful. the amount contained in a sack, sometimes used as a unit of measurement
3.
  1. a woman's loose tube-shaped dress
  2. Also called sacque. a woman's full loose hip-length jacket, worn in the 18th and mid-20th centuries
4.
short for rucksack
5.
(cricket, Austral) a run scored off a ball not struck by the batsman: allotted to the team as an extra and not to the individual batsman Also called (in Britain and certain other countries) bye
6.
(informal) the sack, dismissal from employment
7.
a slang word for bed
8.
(slang) hit the sack, to go to bed
9.
(NZ) rough as sacks, uncouth
verb (transitive)
10.
(informal) to dismiss from employment
11.
to put into a sack or sacks
Derived Forms
sacklike, adjective
Word Origin
Old English sacc, from Latin saccus bag, from Greek sakkos; related to Hebrew saq

sack2

/sæk/
noun
1.
the plundering of a place by an army or mob, usually involving destruction, slaughter, etc
2.
(American football) a tackle on a quarterback which brings him down before he has passed the ball
verb
3.
(transitive) to plunder and partially destroy (a place)
4.
(American football) to tackle and bring down a quarterback before he has passed the ball
Derived Forms
sacker, noun
Word Origin
C16: from French phrase mettre à sac, literally: to put (loot) in a sack, from Latin saccussack1

sack3

/sæk/
noun
1.
(archaic or trademark) any dry white wine formerly imported into Britain from SW Europe
Word Origin
C16 wyne seck, from French vin sec dry wine, from Latin siccus dry
Word Origin and History for sack
n.

"large bag," Old English sacc (West Saxon), sec (Mercian), sæc (Old Kentish) "large cloth bag," also "sackcloth," from Proto-Germanic *sakkiz (cf. Middle Dutch sak, Old High German sac, Old Norse sekkr, but Gothic sakkus probably is directly from Greek), an early borrowing from Latin saccus (also source of Old French sac, Spanish saco, Italian sacco), from Greek sakkos, from Semitic (cf. Hebrew saq "sack").

The wide spread of the word is probably due to the Biblical story of Joseph, in which a sack of corn figures (Gen. xliv). Baseball slang sense of "a base" is attested from 1913. Slang meaning "bunk, bed" is from 1825, originally nautical. The verb meaning "go to bed" is recorded from 1946. Sack race attested from 1805.

"a dismissal from work," 1825, from sack (n.1), perhaps from the notion of the worker going off with his tools in a bag; the original formula was to give (someone) the sack. It is attested earlier in French (on luy a donné son sac, 17c.) and Dutch (iemand de zak geven).

"plunder; act of plundering, the plundering of a city or town after storming and capture," 1540s, from French sac "pillage, plunder," from Italian sacco (see sack (v.1)).

"sherry," 1530s, alteration of French vin sec "dry wine," from Latin siccus "dry" (see siccative).

v.

"to plunder," 1540s, from Middle French sac, in the phrase mettre à sac "put it in a bag," a military leader's command to his troops to plunder a city (parallel to Italian sacco, with the same range of meaning), from Vulgar Latin *saccare "to plunder," originally "to put plundered things into a sack," from Latin saccus "bag" (see sack (n.1)). The notion is probably of putting booty in a bag.

"put in a bag," late 14c., from sack (n.1). Related: Sacked; sacking.

"dismiss from work," 1841, from sack (n.2). Related: Sacked; sacking.

type of U.S. football play, 1969, from sack (v.1) in the sense of "to plunder" or sack (v.2) on the notion of "put in a bag." As a noun from 1972.

Slang definitions & phrases for sack

sack 1

modifier

: sack duty

noun
  1. A bed, bunk, sleeping bag, etc; sleeping place; rack: Let me stay in the sack all day (1829+)
  2. Sleep; sack time: He needed some sack (1940s+)
  3. A dress that fits loosely over the shoulders, waist, and hips and is gathered at the hemline (1957+)
  4. A base; bag, pillow: He slid into the sack (1891+ Baseball)
verb

To discharge; dismiss; can, fire: by refusing to sack his aide (1841+)

Related Terms

fart sack, hit the hay, the keystone, sad sack

[verb sense probably fr the notion of giving a discharged person a traveling bag or sack, since the earliest expression was get the sack]


sack 2

noun
  1. : The Lions made 18 sacks in the first half (1972+ Football)
  2. An assault or blow: You have to credit Dim Rome for hanging in there and taking the sack he accused Everett of being afraid to take (1990s+)
verb

To tackle the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage (1969+ Football)

[fr sack, ''to assault and pillage'']


Idioms and Phrases with sack

sack

In addition to the idiom beginning with
sack
also see: