sack

English

/sæk/

noun
Definitions
  • A bag; especially a large bag of strong, coarse material for storage and handling of various commodities, such as potatoes, coal, coffee; or, a bag with handles used at a supermarket, a grocery sack; or, a small bag for small items, a satchel.
  • The amount a sack holds; also, an archaic or historical measure of varying capacity, depending on commodity type and according to local usage; an old English measure of weight, usually of wool, equal to 13 stone (182 pounds), or in other sources, 26 stone (364 pounds).
  • (uncountable) The plunder and pillaging of a captured town or city.
  • (uncountable) Loot or booty obtained by pillage.
  • (American football) A successful tackle of the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage. See verb sense below.
  • (baseball) One of the square bases anchored at first base, second base, or third base.
  • (informal) Dismissal from employment, or discharge from a position, usually as give (someone) the sack or get the sack. See verb sense below.
  • (colloquial) Bed; usually as hit the sack or in the sack. See also sack out.
  • (dated) (also sacque) A kind of loose-fitting gown or dress with sleeves which hangs from the shoulders, such as a gown with a w:1700-1750_in_fashion#Women.27s_Watteau back or -back sack-back, fashionable in the late 17th to 18th century; or, formerly, a loose-fitting hip-length jacket, cloak or cape.
  • (dated) A sack coat; a kind of coat worn by men, and extending from top to bottom without a cross seam.
  • (vulgar) The scrotum.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English sak (bag, sackcloth) inherited from Old English sacc (sack, bag) inherited from *sakku inherited from Proto-Germanic *sakkuz (sack) derived from Latin saccus (large bag, sack, bag, purse, a sack) derived from Ancient Greek σάκκος (sack, sackcloth, bag, bag of coarse cloth).

Origin

Ancient Greek

σάκκος

Gloss

sack, sackcloth, bag, bag of coarse cloth

Concept
Semantic Field

Basic actions and technology

Ontological Category

Person/Thing

Kanji

Emoji

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms