sip
verbEtymology Inherited from Middle English sippen, of uncertain origin. Compare with Low German sippen (“to sip”). Possibly from a variant of Middle English suppen (“to drink, sip”) (see sup) or perhaps from Old English sipian, sypian (“to take in moisture, soak, macerate”), from Proto-Germanic *sipōną (“to drip, trickle”), from Proto-Indo-European *seyb- (“to pour out, trickle, leak out”). Compare also Old High German supfen (“to drink, sip”), from Proto-Germanic *sūpaną (“to sip, intake”).
1
To drink slowly, small mouthfuls at a time.
- He held out to me a bowl of steaming broth, that filled the room with a savour sweeter, ten thousand times, to me than every rose and lily of the world; yet would not let me drink it at a gulp, but made me sip it with a spoon like any baby.[1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, “In the Vault”, in Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC, pages 62–63:
- A waiter brought his aperitif, which was a small scotch and soda, and as he sipped it gratefully he sighed.1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 5, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
1 more example
- bright young things in jeans and T-shirts huddle around laptops, sipping lattes or munching on free food.2013 August 3, “Revenge of the nerds”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:
2
To drink a small quantity.
- [She] rais'd it to her mouth with sober grace; / Then, sipping, offered to the next in place.1697, Virgil, “The Second Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
3
To taste the liquor of; to drink out of.
- They skim the floods, and sip the purple flowers.1697, Virgil, “The Fourth Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
5
Figuratively To consume slowly.
- Sales of lightbulbs which sip electricity, and whose increased cost in the shops is easily paid for over their lifetime, used to double every year; in 1990/1991, they leapt sevenfold.1995, Richard North, Life on a Modern Planet: A Manifesto for Progress, Manchester University Press, →ISBN, page 80:
- It makes a small car, the Chevy Cobalt, which sips petrol in moderation and is therefore selling well.2008 July 3, “The presidential election: White men can vote”, in The Economist:
1 more example
- Even when turned off, these devices can idly sip electricity from your outlet costing you money.2014 October 20, Erik Hyrkas, "Energy Vampires are Attacking Your Home – Here’s How to Stop Them" (Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy)
- Synonyms
- nurse
- Derived terms
- latte-sipping, paint and sip, resip, sip and puff, sip-and-see, sip-and-see party, sippable, sippingly, sippy, unsipped