English word origin

Etymology of seg

From Middle English segge, from Old English seċġ (“man, warrior, hero”), from Proto-West Germanic *sagi, from Proto-Germanic *sagjaz (“follower, retainer, warrior”), from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“to follow, accompany

5 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 5 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 man; warrior; hero. · A man; fellow.

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Root classification mention*sekʷ-ine-pro
Inherited-form mentionseggeenm
Inherited-form mentionseċġang
Inherited-form mention*sagigmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*sagjazgem-pro
Derivation mention*sekʷ-ine-pro
Cognate mentionseggno
Cognate mentionsegguris

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*sekʷ-",
        "id": "follow"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "segge"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English segge"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "seċġ",
        "4": "",
        "5": "man, warrior, hero"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English seċġ (“man, warrior, hero”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*sagi"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *sagi"
    },
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
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        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*sagjaz",
        "4": "",
        "5": "follower, retainer, warrior"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *sagjaz (“follower, retainer, warrior”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*sekʷ-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to follow, accompany"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“to follow, accompany”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "no",
        "2": "segg"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian segg"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "seggur",
        "3": "",
        "4": "bully"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic seggur (“bully”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "segge",
      "segge#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "seċġ",
      "secg#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*sagi",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/sagi"
    ],
    [
      "*sagjaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/sagjaz"
    ],
    [
      "*sekʷ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/sekʷ-"
    ],
    [
      "segg",
      "segg#Norwegian"
    ],
    [
      "seggur",
      "seggur#Icelandic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A man; warrior; hero.",
        "A man; fellow."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A castrated farm animal.

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

Probably from the root of Latin secāre (“to cut”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Derivation mentionsecārela

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    }
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      "secare#Latin"
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

adj

Designated for people of color

noun

Segregation.

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

Clipping of segregation.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

noun

A shoe protector (metal stud or plate affixed to the sole or heel of a shoe to prevent excessive wear). · A callus, an area of hardened skin.

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

Genericized trademark of Blakey's Segs, a British brand of shoe protector. Formed as an apocopic form of (steel) segment.

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": "segment",
        "3": "(steel) segment",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "apocopic form of (steel) segment"
    }
  ],
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      "shoe protector"
    ],
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      "(steel) segment",
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    ]
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Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗

noun

Sedge. · Gladen, or other species of Iris.

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

See sedge.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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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 seg →

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-c2Vn