Sappy
/ˈsæpi/noun
Having or containing a lot of sap; also, foolishly sentimental or overly emotional.
Did you know?The emotional sense of sappy is much newer; the older sense comes from Old English words for sap and juice, showing how a word for plant fluid became a slang insult for mushy feelings.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*s(e)ib-
“to pour out, drip, or trickle”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*sapą
“sap, juice”
Old English
OE
sæp
“sap, juice, fluid of plants”
Middle English
ME
sappy
“full of sap; juicy, watery”
19th Century
English
sappy
“foolishly sentimental; mawkish”
Modern English
English
sappy
“having a lot of sap or being overly sentimental”