How did the royal engineers became known as Sappers. ?

Question

It seems a strange word and not associated with engineering.

Answer 1

It is an old French word which means one who saps(undermines).The early engineers dug under fortifications to cause them to collapse and later to plant explosives to blow them up from below.The first fire unit in France was formed from napoleons engineers and still retain sapper in their name.

Answer 2

http://www.remuseum.org.uk/corpshistory/rem_corps_sapper.htm

Complete history of the origin of the "Sapper" as it pertains to the Royal Engineers

J-

Answer 3

Sapping is very old name for undermining walls by trenching - during sieges of castles etc. Its part of military engineering.
Sieges could go on for years. My dictionary says it was probably derived from an arabic word originally.

Answer 4

Don't know...but some firemen in France are called Sapeurs-Pompiers. 'Ordinary' firemen are pompiers, and the ones with extra training thus have the title Sapeurs added...I believe this is the same word translated.
I think it means trained in how to blow up buildings.

Answer 5

sappers are those able to get beneath the bark as it were, and puff their cheeks out untill juices ooze out.