sappy
/ˈsæpi/ adjective
Forms sappier sappiest sapy
- adjective (US) Excessively sweet, emotional, nostalgic; cheesy; mushy. (British equivalent: soppy) “It was a sappy love song, but it reminded them of their first dance.”
- adjective Having (a particularly large amount of) sap.
- adjective (obsolete) Juicy.
- adjective (obsolete, of wood) Spongy; Having spaces in which large quantities of sap can flow.
- adjective (obsolete) Musty; tainted; rancid.
Synonyms
schmaltzy syrupy treacly bathetic cheesy squishy corny drippy gooey hokey icky kitsch kitschy maudlin mawkish mushy overemotional oversentimental overwrought sickly sweet cockamamie cockamamy goofy silly wacky whacky zany
Etymology
From Middle English sappy, sapy, from Old English sæpiġ (“full of sap, succulent”), equivalent to sap + -y. Cognate with West Frisian sappig (“juicy”), Dutch sappig (“juicy, succulent”), Middle High German saffic, seffec ("juicy, succulent"; > German saftig), Danish saftig (“juicy”), Swedish saftig (“juicy”). Doublet of zaftig.
Compare Latin sapere (“to taste”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Abounding with sap; full of sap; juisy; succulent.
- adjective Hence, young, not firm; weak, feeble.
- adjective Musty; tainted. [Obs.]
Etymology [From 1st Sap.]
Etymology [Cf. L. sapere to taste.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “sappy”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details