*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of nag

From Middle English nagg, nage, nagge (“horse, small riding horse, pony”), cognate with Dutch negge, neg (“horse”), German Nickel (“small horse”). Perhaps related to English neigh.

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 ↗
noun

A small horse; a pony. · An old, useless horse. · A paramour.

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

From Middle English nagg, nage, nagge (“horse, small riding horse, pony”), cognate with Dutch negge, neg (“horse”), German Nickel (“small horse”). Perhaps related to English neigh.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionnaggenm
  • Cognate mentionneggenl
  • Cognate mentionNickelde · small horse
  • Cognate mentionneighen
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "3": "enm:nagge<t:horse, small riding horse, pony>",
        "tree": "1"
      },
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    },
    {
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        "3": "nagg"
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "negge"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch negge"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Nickel",
        "t": "small horse"
      },
      "expansion": "German Nickel (“small horse”)"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "neigh"
      },
      "expansion": "English neigh"
    },
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      },
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    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "nagg",
      "nagg#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "nage",
      "nage#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "nagge",
      "nagge#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "negge",
      "negge#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "neg",
      "neg#Dutch"
    ],
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      "Nickel",
      "Nickel#German"
    ],
    [
      "neigh",
      "neigh#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "glosses": [
        "A small horse; a pony.",
        "An old, useless horse.",
        "A paramour."
      ],
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        "derogatory",
        "obsolete"
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To repeatedly remind or complain to (someone) in an annoying way, often about insignificant or unnecessary matters. · To bother with persistent thoughts or memories. · To bother or disturb persistently in any way.

noun

Someone or something that nags. · A repeated complaint or reminder. · A persistent, bothersome thought or worry.

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

Probably from a North Germanic source; compare Swedish nagga (“to gnaw, grumble”), Danish nage (“to nag, bother”), Icelandic nagga (“to complain”). Compare typologically fret, Bulgarian глождя (gloždja), Russian глода́ть (glodátʹ), грызть (gryztʹ), по́едом есть (pójedom jestʹ), е́дкий (jédkij).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "expansion": "North Germanic"
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    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "nagga",
        "3": "",
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      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic nagga (“to complain”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "bg",
        "2": "глождя"
      },
      "expansion": "Bulgarian глождя (gloždja)"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "глода́ть"
      },
      "expansion": "Russian глода́ть (glodátʹ)"
    }
  ],
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    ],
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      "nage",
      "nage#Danish"
    ],
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      "nagga",
      "nagga#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "fret",
      "fret#English"
    ],
    [
      "глождя",
      "глождя#Bulgarian"
    ],
    [
      "глода́ть",
      "глодать#Russian"
    ],
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      "грызть",
      "грызть#Russian"
    ],
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      "по́едом есть",
      "поедом есть#Russian"
    ],
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      "е́дкий",
      "едкий#Russian"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
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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 nag →

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-bmFn