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shag¹

(shăg)

1. A tangle or mass, especially of rough matted hair.

a. A coarse long nap, as on a woolen cloth.

b. Cloth having such a nap.

3. A rug with a thick rough pile.

4. Coarse shredded tobacco.

tr.v. shagged, shag·ging, shags

To make shaggy; roughen.

[Middle English *shagge, from Old English sceacga, matted hair.]

shag²

(shăg)

A dance step of the 1930s consisting of a hop on each foot in turn.

intr.v. shagged, shag·ging, shags

To perform or execute this dance.

[Origin unknown.]

shag³

(shăg)

Any of several cormorants, especially Phalacrocorax aristotelis of Europe and North Africa.

[Perhaps from its shaggy crest.]

shag⁴

(shăg)

tr.v. shagged, shag·ging, shags

1. To chase and bring back; fetch.

2. Baseball To chase and catch (fly balls) in practice.

[Perhaps from obsolete shag, to shake.]

shag⁵

(shăg)

v. shagged, shag·ging, shags
Chiefly British Vulgar Slang

v.tr.

To engage in sexual intercourse with.

v.intr.

To engage in sexual intercourse.

[Perhaps from obsolete shag, to shake, wiggle.]

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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