Rough fabric used for bags; the act of firing someone from their job; plundering or destroying a city.
Noun from Middle Dutch 'sac' or Old French 'sac' (bag), from Latin 'saccus.' Verb from the noun (bags held plundered goods) or possibly from Spanish 'saco' (to plunder). Multiple meanings developed from different etymological paths.
The phrase 'getting the sack' (being fired) originally came from factory work—when workers were dismissed, they were literally given a sack to collect their personal items before leaving! It's a grimly practical origin for such a brutal experience.
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