*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of cag

From Middle English kag, of North Germanic origin, related to Old Norse kaggi, Swedish kagge.

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A keg.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English kag, of North Germanic origin, related to Old Norse kaggi, Swedish kagge.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionkagenm
  • Cognate mentionkagginon
  • Cognate mentionkaggesv
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "kag"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English kag"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmq",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "North Germanic"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "non",
        "2": "kaggi"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse kaggi"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "kagge"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish kagge"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "kag",
      "kag#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "kaggi",
      "kaggi#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "kagge",
      "kagge#Swedish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A keg."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland"
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Clipping of cagoule.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Shortening.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [],
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  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Clipping of cagoule."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "clipping",
        "informal"
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A projecting piece left on a tree or shrub when a branch is severed; knob; stump. · The stump of a broken tooth; a tooth standing alone. · An angular tear or rent in a piece of cloth.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From English dialect, from Middle English *kagge, perhaps from Old Norse *kagi, *kaggi, from Proto-Germanic *kagô (“bush, stump”). Cognate with dialectal German Kag (“cabbage stalk, stump”), Swedish kage (“treestump”). Possibly from the same root as Old Norse kaggi (“barrel, cask, keg”). Doublet of chag.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mention*kaggeenm
  • Derivation mention*kaginon
  • Derivation mention*kagôgem-pro · bush, stump
  • Cognate mentionKagde · cabbage stalk, stump
  • Cognate mentionkagesv · treestump
  • Cognate mentionkagginon · barrel, cask, keg
  • Doublet mentionchagen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "*kagge"
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    },
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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "*kagi"
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      "expansion": "Old Norse *kagi"
    },
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    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Kag",
        "t": "cabbage stalk, stump"
      },
      "expansion": "German Kag (“cabbage stalk, stump”)"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "kage",
        "t": "treestump"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish kage (“treestump”)"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "non",
        "2": "kaggi",
        "t": "barrel, cask, keg"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse kaggi (“barrel, cask, keg”)"
    },
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      "name": "doublet",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "chag"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of chag"
    }
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    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Old Norse/kagi"
    ],
    [
      "*kaggi",
      "Reconstruction:Old Norse/kaggi"
    ],
    [
      "*kagô",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/kagô"
    ],
    [
      "Kag",
      "Kag#German"
    ],
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      "kage",
      "kage#Swedish"
    ],
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      "kaggi#Old_Norse"
    ],
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      "chag",
      "chag#English"
    ]
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
verb

To vex; annoy; insult, offend; grieve. · To chatter, gossip.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Uncertain. Cognate with Scots kag, kagg (“to vex, grieve”). Perhaps from Middle English caggen (“to tie, bind”), possibly from or related to Old Norse kǫgurr (“quilt, blanket, bedcover, coffin cloth”). Alternatively, perhaps allied with Norwegian Nynorsk kjaka (“to wrangle, harass”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Cognate mentionkagsco
  • Inherited-form mentioncaggenenm · to tie, bind
  • Derivation mentionkǫgurrnon · quilt, blanket, bedcover, coffin cloth
  • Cognate mentionkjakann · to wrangle, harass
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "expansion": "Uncertain"
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    },
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    },
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        "t": "to wrangle, harass"
      },
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    }
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    [
      "kag",
      "kag#Scots"
    ],
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      "kagg",
      "kagg#Scots"
    ],
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      "caggen",
      "caggen#Middle_English"
    ],
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    ],
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      "kjaka",
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    ]
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for cag →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Y2Fn