verb / noun
sup
SUP/sˈʌp/
A small mouthful of food or drink, or the act of taking one.
The woman takes a small sup of soup from the spoon.
Etymology
The Old English verb already meant sipping, tasting, or swallowing. This sense of sup retains that focus on taking something into the mouth in small amounts.
In context
Dine sparingly and sup more sparingly still; for the health of the whole body is forged in the workshop of the stomach.
More examples
- He sups the warm broth slowly.
- I took one sup of tea and set the cup down.
- They supped their soup while it was still hot.
Forms
sup · sups · supped · supping
Similar words
- sip
- Sip is more common and usually refers only to liquids.
- mouthful
- Mouthful describes an amount held in the mouth, regardless of size.