wag
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /wæɡ/
rhymes: -æɡ
Forms: form: wags
form: wagging
form: wagged
form: wagged
Etymology: From Middle English waggen, probably from Old English wagian (“to wag, wave, shake”) with reinforcement from Old Norse vaga (“to wag, waddle”); both from Proto-Germanic *wagōną (“to wag”). Related to English way.
The verb may be regarded as an iterative or emphatic form of waw (verb), which is often nearly synonymous; it was used, e.g., of a loose tooth. Parallel formations from the same root are the Old Norse vagga feminine, cradle (Swedish vagga, Danish vugge), Swedish vagga (“to rock a cradle”), vugge (“to rock a cradle”), Dutch wagen (“to move”), early modern German waggen (dialectal German wacken) to waver, totter. Compare waggle, verb
Senses: examples: text: No discerner durst wag his tongue in censure.
ref: 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
text: Every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Bible Jeremiah:18–16:
glosses: To swing from side to side, as an animal's tail, or someone's head to express disagreement or disbelief.
examples: text: "My misfortunes all began in wagging, Sir; but what could I do, exceptin' wag?" "Excepting what?" said Mr. Carker. "Wag, Sir. Wagging from school." "Do you mean pretending to go there, and not going?" said Mr. Carker. "Yes, Sir, that's wagging, Sir."
ref: 1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, “chapter xxii”, in Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC:
text: They had "wagged it" from school, as they termed it, which..meant truancy in all its forms.
ref: 1901, William Sylvester Walker, Blood, i. 13:
text: […] she wagged English and Science just to go in his car […]
ref: 2005, Arctic Monkeys, “Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts”, in I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor:
synonyms: see Thesaurus:play truant
glosses: To play truant from school.
examples: text: "Thus we may see," quoth he, "how the world wags."
ref: c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)]:
glosses: To go; to proceed; to move; to progress.
examples: text: She's a real gossip: her tongue is always wagging.
glosses: To move continually, especially in gossip; said of the tongue.
examples: text: I will provoke him to 't, or let him wag.
ref: 1623, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor:
glosses: To leave; to depart.
examples: text: The tail wagged.
topics: ball-games
cricket
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: Of the tail (lower order of the batting lineup): to score more runs than expected.
Coordinate terms: sense: swing from side to side
word: nod
sense: swing from side to side
word: no
Derived terms: awag
chinwag
finger-wag
tail wagging the dog
wag a finger
wag-at-the-wall
wag hemp
wag it
wag-on-the-wall
wag-tail dance
wag the dog
wag-wanton
Related terms: word: waggle
word: wiggle