shag.
Matted material; rough massed hair, fibres etc.
Meaning & usage
Matted material; rough massed hair, fibres etc.
Coarse shredded tobacco.
A type of rough carpet pile.
Bacon or fat, especially if with some remaining hair or bristles.
A roughly-cut or torn-off piece of bread or cheese.
A deliberately messy, shaggy hairstyle.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Old English sċeacga Middle English *schagge English shag From Middle English *schagge, from Old English sċeacga (“hair, wool”), from Proto-Germanic *skaggô, *skaggiją (“projection, bristly hair, stem”), *skag- (“to emerge, stick out, protrude”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kek- (“to jump, move, hurry”). Akin to Old Norse skegg (“beard”) (compare Danish skæg, Norwegian skjegg, Swedish skägg). Related to shake and shock via the root.
To make hairy or shaggy; to roughen.
To hang in shaggy clusters.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Old English sċeacga Middle English *schagge English shag From Middle English *schagge, from Old English sċeacga (“hair, wool”), from Proto-Germanic *skaggô, *skaggiją (“projection, bristly hair, stem”), *skag- (“to emerge, stick out, protrude”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kek- (“to jump, move, hurry”). Akin to Old Norse skegg (“beard”) (compare Danish skæg, Norwegian skjegg, Swedish skägg). Related to shake and shock via the root.
Hairy; shaggy.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Old English sċeacga Middle English *schagge English shag From Middle English *schagge, from Old English sċeacga (“hair, wool”), from Proto-Germanic *skaggô, *skaggiją (“projection, bristly hair, stem”), *skag- (“to emerge, stick out, protrude”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kek- (“to jump, move, hurry”). Akin to Old Norse skegg (“beard”) (compare Danish skæg, Norwegian skjegg, Swedish skägg). Related to shake and shock via the root.
Any of several species of sea birds in the family Phalacrocoracidae (cormorant family), especially a common shag or European shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis), found on European and African coasts.
Where this word comes from
Unknown. Perhaps a derivative of Etymology 1, above, with reference to the shaggy crest of the European shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis).
To shake, wiggle around.
To have sex with.
To have sex.
To masturbate.
To chase after; especially, to chase after and return (a ball) hit usually out of play.
To perform the dance called the shag.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English schaggen, a variant of Middle English schoggen (“to shake; shake off; tremble”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a byform of Middle English schokken (“to shake; move rapidly”), related to Middle Low German schokken (“to shake; tremble”). Alternatively, perhaps ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *skakkōn (“to shake”), specifically continuing a post-Proto-Germanic variant *skagg-, where the non-singular stem *skag- caused the analogical replacement of the stem-final voiceless geminate consonants with voiced geminates, which was then leveled throughout the paradigm.
A swing dance.
An act of sex.
A casual sexual partner.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English schaggen, a variant of Middle English schoggen (“to shake; shake off; tremble”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a byform of Middle English schokken (“to shake; move rapidly”), related to Middle Low German schokken (“to shake; tremble”). Alternatively, perhaps ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *skakkōn (“to shake”), specifically continuing a post-Proto-Germanic variant *skagg-, where the non-singular stem *skag- caused the analogical replacement of the stem-final voiceless geminate consonants with voiced geminates, which was then leveled throughout the paradigm.
A fundraising dance in honour of a couple engaged to be married.
Where this word comes from
Blend of shower (“bridal shower”) + stag (“bachelor party”).
Friend; mate; buddy.
Where this word comes from
Unknown.
Exhausted, worn out, extremely tired.
Tough and exhausting.
Where this word comes from
From shagged or shagged out, originally British colloquialisms.
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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.