Wag

From Fresh Dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1 1.1.1 Verb 1.1.2 See also 1.2 Etymology 2 1.2.1 Noun 1.2.2 See also 1.3 References 2 Afrikaans 2.1 Noun 2.1.1 Etymology 2.2 Verb 2.2.1 Etymology

English

Etymology 1

Middle English noun wagge, feminine root of Old English waian, noun, (Middle English noun wae) to oscillate, shake

The verb may be regarded as an iterative or emphatic form of waian 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 femimine, cradle (Swedish vagga, Dutch vugge), Swedish vagga to rock a cradle, early modern German waggen (modern High German dialect wacken) to waver, totter. Cf. waggle, verb

Verb

Infinitive to wag

Third person singular wags

Simple past wagged

Past participle wagged

Present participle wagging

1. To swing from side to side, especially of an animal's tail
2. (slang) To not go to school, either for a class or classes or the entire school day;¹ play the wag; hop the wag; wag it.²

• "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."
  -- Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, (1848) xxii
• They had "wagged it" from school, as they termed it, which..meant truancy in all its forms. -- William Sylvester Walker, In the Blood,
  (1901) i. 13

See also

• waggle (frequentative)
• wiggle

Etymology 2

Noun

Singular wag

Plural wags

1. witty person

See also

• skivitis

References

1. The Oxford English Dictionary, (1989) <http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/login?uri=%2Fentrance.dtl> Accessed 23 Feb. 2006.
2. Jonathon Green, "wag," The Cassell Dictionary of Slang, (1998) p. 1257.

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Afrikaans

Noun

wag

1. guard

Etymology

Dutch wacht

Verb

wag

1. wait

Etymology

Dutch wachtenfr:wag zh:wag