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peg

(pĕg)

a. A small cylindrical or tapered pin, as of wood, used to fasten things or plug a hole.

b. A similar pin forming a projection that may be used as a support or boundary marker.

2. Music One of the pins of a stringed instrument that are turned to tighten or slacken the strings so as to regulate their pitch.

3. A degree or notch, as in estimation: Our opinion of him went up a few pegs after he did the dishes.

4. Chiefly British A drink of liquor.

5. Baseball A low and fast throw made to put a base runner out.

6. Informal A leg, especially a wooden one.

v. pegged, peg·ging, pegs

v. tr.

1. To fasten or plug with a peg or pegs.

2. To designate or mark by means of a peg or pegs.

3. To fix (a price) at a certain level or within a certain range.

4. Informal To classify; categorize: I pegged her as an opportunist. Why do you have me pegged as the rowdy one?

5. Informal

a. To hit, especially with a thrown object or fired projectile: She pegged him on the head with a snowball.

b. To throw or fire (an object or projectile): “How did you learn to peg a ball as straight as this?” (Zane Grey).

v. intr.

To work steadily; persist: pegged away until our luck turned.

adj.

Wide at the top and narrowing toward the bottom: peg jeans; a peg skirt.

Idiom:

take (someone) down a peg

To reduce the pride of; humble.

[Middle English pegge, from Middle Dutch.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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