*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tag

From Middle English tagge (“small piece hanging from a garment”), probably of North Germanic origin. Compare Norwegian tagg (“point; prong; barb; tag”), Swedish tagg (“thorn; prickle; tine”), Icelandic tág (“a willow-twi

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 label (something). · To mark (something) with one's graffiti tag. · To remove dung tags from a sheep. · To hit the ball hard.

noun

A small label. · A skin tag, an excrescence of skin. · A dangling lock of sheep's wool, matted with dung; a dung tag. · Any slight appendage, as to an article of dress; something slight hanging loosely.

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

From Middle English tagge (“small piece hanging from a garment”), probably of North Germanic origin. Compare Norwegian tagg (“point; prong; barb; tag”), Swedish tagg (“thorn; prickle; tine”), Icelandic tág (“a willow-twig”). Compare also tack.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiontaggeenm · small piece hanging from a garment
  • Cognate mentiontaggno · point; prong; barb; tag
  • Cognate mentiontaggsv · thorn; prickle; tine
  • Cognate mentiontágis · a willow-twig

This page abbreviates 27 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.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "tagge",
        "t": "small piece hanging from a garment"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English tagge (“small piece hanging from a garment”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmq"
      },
      "expansion": "North Germanic"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "no",
        "2": "tagg",
        "t": "point; prong; barb; tag"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian tagg (“point; prong; barb; tag”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "tagg",
        "t": "thorn; prickle; tine"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish tagg (“thorn; prickle; tine”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "tág",
        "t": "a willow-twig"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic tág (“a willow-twig”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tagge",
      "tagge#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tagg",
      "tagg#Norwegian"
    ],
    [
      "tagg",
      "tagg#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "tág",
      "tág#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "tack",
      "tack#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To label (something).",
        "To mark (something) with one's graffiti tag.",
        "To remove dung tags from a sheep.",
        "To hit the ball hard."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive",
        "colloquial"
      ],
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        "A small label.",
        "A skin tag, an excrescence of skin.",
        "A dangling lock of sheep's wool, matted with dung; a dung tag.",
        "Any slight appendage, as to an article of dress; something slight hanging loosely."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A decoration drawn over some Hebrew letters in Jewish scrolls, especially in Stam style.

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

Borrowed from Aramaic תגא (taga, “crown”). Doublet of taj.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentionתגאarc · crown
  • Doublet mentiontajen
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "3": "תגא",
        "t": "crown",
        "tr": "taga"
      },
      "expansion": "Aramaic תגא (taga, “crown”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "taj"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of taj"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "תגא",
      "תגא#Aramaic"
    ],
    [
      "taj",
      "taj#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A decoration drawn over some Hebrew letters in Jewish scrolls, especially in Stam style."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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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 tag →

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-dGFn