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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

log.

The trunk of a dead tree, cleared of branches.

3 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/lɒɡ/Received-Pronunciation/lɔɡ/General-American/lɑɡ/cot-caught-merger
  1. The trunk of a dead tree, cleared of branches.

    They walked across the stream on a fallen log.
  2. Any bulky piece as cut from the above, used as timber, fuel etc.

  3. A unit of length equivalent to 16 feet, used for measuring timber, especially the trunk of a tree.

  4. Any cylinder; anything shaped like a tree log, particularly

    figuratively
  5. Any cylinder; anything shaped like a tree log A rolled cake with filling.

    figuratively
  6. Any cylinder; anything shaped like a tree log A solid and long piece of feces.

    figuratively · vulgar
  7. Any cylinder; anything shaped like a tree log The penis.

    figuratively · vulgar
  8. A floating device, usually of wood, used in navigation to estimate the speed of a vessel through water.

  9. A blockhead; a very stupid person.

    figuratively
  10. A heavy longboard.

    slang
  11. A weight or block near the free end of a hoisting rope to prevent it from being drawn through the sheave.

Where this word comes from

From Middle English logge, logg (first recorded in Anglo-Latin as loggum), of uncertain origin, but probably from Old Norse lóg, lág (“felled tree, log”), derived from Old Norse liggja (“to lie”). If so, then cognate with Norwegian låg (“fallen tree”), Dutch loog (“wood, timber, lumber”). Alternatively, directly from Norwegian låg (“fallen tree”), which could have been borrowed through the Norwegian timber trade. However the Old Norse/Middle Norwegian vowel is long while Middle English vowel is short.

verb/lɒɡ/Received-Pronunciation/lɔɡ/General-American/lɑɡ/cot-caught-merger
  1. To cut trees into logs.

    transitive
  2. To cut down (trees).

    transitive
  3. To cut down trees in an area, harvesting and transporting the logs as wood.

    intransitive
Where this word comes from

From Middle English logge, logg (first recorded in Anglo-Latin as loggum), of uncertain origin, but probably from Old Norse lóg, lág (“felled tree, log”), derived from Old Norse liggja (“to lie”). If so, then cognate with Norwegian låg (“fallen tree”), Dutch loog (“wood, timber, lumber”). Alternatively, directly from Norwegian låg (“fallen tree”), which could have been borrowed through the Norwegian timber trade. However the Old Norse/Middle Norwegian vowel is long while Middle English vowel is short.

noun/lɒɡ/Received-Pronunciation/lɔɡ/General-American/lɑɡ/cot-caught-merger
  1. A logbook, or journal of a vessel's (or aircraft's) progress.

  2. A chronological record of actions, performances, computer/network usage, etc.

  3. Specifically, an append-only sequential record of events written to a file, display, or other data stream.

Where this word comes from

Clipping of logbook, itself from log (etymology 1) + book, from a wooden float (chip log) used to measure speed.

verb/lɒɡ/Received-Pronunciation/lɔɡ/General-American/lɑɡ/cot-caught-merger
  1. To make, to add an entry (or more) in a log or logbook.

    transitive
    to log the miles travelled by a ship
  2. To travel (a distance) as shown in a logbook.

    transitive
  3. To travel at a specified speed, as ascertained by a chip log.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

Clipping of logbook, itself from log (etymology 1) + book, from a wooden float (chip log) used to measure speed.

verb/lɒɡ/Received-Pronunciation/lɔɡ/General-American/lɑɡ/cot-caught-merger
  1. To log out; to disconnect from an online video game.

    transitive
    You only won that game because your last opponent logged. That's no fair!
Where this word comes from

Ellipsis of log out, itself from Etymology 2.

verb/lɒɡ/Received-Pronunciation/lɔɡ/General-American/lɑɡ/cot-caught-merger
  1. To move to and fro; to rock.

    obsolete
noun/lɒɡ/Received-Pronunciation/lɔɡ/General-American/lɑɡ/cot-caught-merger
  1. A Hebrew unit of liquid volume (about ¹⁄₃ liter).

    historical
Where this word comes from

From Hebrew לֹג.

noun/lɒɡ/Received-Pronunciation/lɔɡ/General-American/lɑɡ/cot-caught-merger
  1. Synonym of logarithm.

    To multiply two numbers, add their logs.
  2. A difference of one in the logarithm, usually in base 10; an order of magnitude.

Where this word comes from

A clipping of logarithm.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.