*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of jag

The noun is from late Middle English jagge, from Old English giagga, giacga. The ultimate origin could be sound-symbolic of sudden movement, compare with jam, rag and Middle English dag, of which jag may be a palatalised

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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 ↗
verb

To cut unevenly. · To pierce with a sharp object. · To tease.

noun

A sharp projection. · A part broken off; a fragment. · A flap, a tear in a clothing · A cleft or division.

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

The noun is from late Middle English jagge, from Old English giagga, giacga. The ultimate origin could be sound-symbolic of sudden movement, compare with jam, rag and Middle English dag, of which jag may be a palatalised variant. The verb is from jaggen, from Old English giacgian.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionjaggeenm
  • Inherited-form mentiongiaggaang
  • Derivation mentiondagenm

This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "jagge"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English jagge"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "giagga"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English giagga"
    },
    {
      "name": "sound-symbolic",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "sound-symbolic"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dag"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dag"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "giacgian"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English giacgian"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "jagge",
      "jagge#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "giagga",
      "giagga#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "giacga",
      "giacga#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "jam",
      "jam#English"
    ],
    [
      "rag",
      "rag#English"
    ],
    [
      "dag",
      "dag#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "jaggen",
      "jaggen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "giacgian",
      "giacgian#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To cut unevenly.",
        "To pierce with a sharp object.",
        "To tease."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Pennsylvania",
        "Scotland",
        "Western"
      ],
      "recordId": "4d56c9332badcf349b8c22c5428c086c68854098df5472e8a8008c68de74508f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9df6cc20d101e56c33f440cd9460ada6a908d0de8b7a24d94058ff25817a3f5b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 111910
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A sharp projection.",
        "A part broken off; a fragment.",
        "A flap, a tear in a clothing",
        "A cleft or division."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "d20f586eb91a690e2b8f29153d14d6a89bd9ac024643757f795f336f61835028",
      "rawRecordSha256": "81587e56336bf70df99875d634fba7bf7b9a2456d96ff2586f75ebdbe4f3e9c1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 111909
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 3,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Enough liquor to make a person noticeably drunk; a skinful. · A binge or period of overindulgence; a spree. · A fit, spell, outburst. · A one-horse cart load, or, in modern times, a truck load, of hay or wood.

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

Circa 1597; originally "load of broom or furze", variant of British English dialectal chag (“tree branch; branch of broom or furze”), from Old English ċeacga (“broom, furze”), from Proto-Germanic *kagô (compare dialectal German Kag (“stump, cabbage, stalk”), Swedish dialect kage (“stumps”), Norwegian dialect kage (“low bush”), of unknown origin.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionċeacgaang
  • Inherited-form mention*kagôgem-pro

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ċeacga",
        "4": "",
        "5": "broom, furze"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ċeacga (“broom, furze”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*kagô"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *kagô"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "chag",
      "chag#English"
    ],
    [
      "ċeacga",
      "ceacga#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*kagô",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/kagô"
    ],
    [
      "Kag",
      "Kag#German"
    ],
    [
      "kage",
      "kage#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "kage",
      "kage#Norwegian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Enough liquor to make a person noticeably drunk; a skinful.",
        "A binge or period of overindulgence; a spree.",
        "A fit, spell, outburst.",
        "A one-horse cart load, or, in modern times, a truck load, of hay or wood."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "047e5ba8046796f77cbd5f4b2da5a4868b7323fd56df9cc99ebdafe487a04a12",
      "rawRecordSha256": "dc6b549e026ac1184fe081088ba44af116f7bcdea42187335fc1702cf73db231",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 111911
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 jag →

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-amFn