English word origin

Etymology of tig

Dialectal variant of tick, from Middle English ticken, tiken. More at tick.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 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 light touch; a tap or pat. · The children's game of tag.

verb

To touch lightly or playfully; to trifle, dally.

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

Dialectal variant of tick, from Middle English ticken, tiken. More at tick.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentiontickenenm

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": "ticken"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English ticken"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tick",
      "tick#English"
    ],
    [
      "ticken",
      "ticken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tiken",
      "tiken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tick",
      "tick#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A light touch; a tap or pat.",
        "The children's game of tag."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dialectal",
        "Ireland",
        "Scotland"
      ],
      "recordId": "4814c2796983ac9029fbf4d4320d834b31189d77476b1b8e9745d6071a7ed5e6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "3cc867f96799dc8b18784000f1025a90065c43e47a6b266c010e8c653504d843",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 284168
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To touch lightly or playfully; to trifle, dally."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dialectal"
      ],
      "recordId": "4ca390971e2f8e2c844c825c4ccb208bdefea8a473385498a05d902ab926e6d9",
      "rawRecordSha256": "70c61772c5580762984c3739839bf1c7c396fdc722de3b37ff88c5f7a1b4b1bc",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 284167
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "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 tig →

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-dGln