pig

English Online Dictionary. What means pig‎? What does pig mean?

Translingual

Symbol

pig

1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Pisabo.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Pisabo terms

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English pigge (“pig, pigling”) (originally a term for a young pig, with adult pigs being swyn), apparently from Old English *picga (attested only in compounds, such as picgbrēad (“mast, pig-fodder”)), from Proto-West Germanic *piggō, *puggō (“piglet”). Compare Middle Dutch pogge, puggen, pigge, pegsken (“pigling”), Middle Low German pugge, pûke (“piglet”). Pokorny suggests this root might be somehow related to *bū-, *bew- (“to blow; swell”), which could account for the alternation between "pig" and "big".

A connection to early modern Dutch bigge (contemporary big (“piglet”)), West Frisian bigge (“pigling”), and similar terms in Middle Low German is sometimes proposed, "but the phonology is difficult". Some sources say the words are "almost certainly not" related, others consider a relation "probable, but not certain".

The slang sense of "police officer" is attested since at least 1785.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɪɡ/
• Rhymes: -ɪɡ

Noun

pig (countable and uncountable, plural pigs)

2. (countable) Any of several mammalian species of the genus Sus or the family Suidae, having cloven hooves, bristles and a nose adapted for digging; especially the domesticated animal Sus domesticus.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:pig

   Hyponyms: boar, brood sow, herd boar, piggy, piglet, sow

   1. (specifically) A young swine, a piglet (contrasted with a hog, an adult swine).
3. (uncountable) The edible meat of such an animal; pork.
4. (uncountable) A light pinkish-red colour, like that of a pig (also called pig pink).
5. (figuratively, derogatory) Someone who overeats or eats rapidly and noisily.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:glutton

   • 2008, Wally Lamb, The Hour I First Believed, Ch.4, at p.86:

     When you figure out the maze and get to the middle, that's when you get your free cocoa. It's on a table in two big thermos jugs, and there's cups and a ladle, and the sign says, "One cup per customer, PLEASE!" because some people are pigs.

6. (figuratively, derogatory) A lecherous or sexist man.

7. (figuratively, derogatory) A dirty or slovenly person.

8. (figuratively, derogatory) An obese person.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:fat person

10. (derogatory, slang) A police officer. [From ante 1785.]

    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:police officer
11. (informal) A difficult problem.

12. (countable and uncountable) An oblong block of cast metal (now only iron or lead).
13. The mold in which a block of metal is cast.

14. A lead container used for radioactive waste.
15. (engineering) A device for cleaning or inspecting the inside of an oil or gas pipeline, or for separating different substances within the pipeline. Named for the pig-like squealing noise made by their progress.

16. (US, military, slang) The general-purpose M60 machine gun, considered to be heavy and bulky.

17. (uncountable) A simple dice game in which players roll the dice as many times as they like, either accumulating a greater score or losing previous points gained.
18. (UK, slang, obsolete) A sixpence.

    Synonym: sow's baby

19. (US, slang) A Cadillac car.
20. (US, slang) A Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Derived terms

Descendants

• Hawaiian Creole: pig
• Torres Strait Creole: pig
• Tok Pisin: pik
• → Abenaki: piks (from "pigs")
• → Malecite-Passamaquoddy: piks (from "pigs")

Translations

Verb

pig (third-person singular simple present pigs, present participle pigging, simple past and past participle pigged)

1. (of swine) To give birth.

2. (intransitive) To greedily consume (especially food).
3. (intransitive) To huddle or lie together like pigs, in one bed.
4. (intransitive) To live together in a crowded filthy manner.
5. (transitive, engineering) To clean (a pipeline) using a pig (the device).

Derived terms

• piggable

References

• pig on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Suidae on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Sus on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Category:Sus on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Etymology 2

Possibly a transferred use of pig, because the vessel was thought to resemble the animal.

Noun

pig (plural pigs)

2. (Scotland) An earthenware pot or jar
   1. (specifically) An earthenware vessel used as a hot-water bottle

Derived terms

References

Anagrams

• GIP, GPI, PGI, gip

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse pík, from Proto-Germanic *pīkaz, *pikkaz, cognate with English pike. Doublet of pik.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /piɡ/, [ˈpʰiɡ̊]
• Homophone: pik

Noun

pig c (singular definite piggen, plural indefinite pigge)

1. spike
2. barb
3. spine, quill (a needle-like structure)
4. prickle (a small, sharp pointed object, such as a thorn)

Declension

Further reading

• “pig” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “pig” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Hawaiian Creole

Etymology

Derived from English pig.

Noun

pig

1. (countable) pig (any of several mammalian species of the genus Sus or the family Suidae, having cloven hooves, bristles and a nose adapted for digging; especially the domesticated animal Sus domesticus)

Scots

Etymology

From Middle English pigge, pygge, from Old English *picga (“pig; pigling”), see English pig.

Sense of "vessel; jar" is from Middle English pygg, perhaps an extension of the above.

Noun

pig (plural pigs)

1. (countable) pig (any of several mammalian species of the genus Sus or the family Suidae, having cloven hooves, bristles and a nose adapted for digging; especially the domesticated animal Sus domesticus)
2. pot, jar, earthenware

Derived terms

Torres Strait Creole

Etymology

From English pig.

Noun

pig

1. (countable) pig (any of several mammalian species of the genus Sus or the family Suidae, having cloven hooves, bristles and a nose adapted for digging; especially the domesticated animal Sus domesticus)

   Synonym: pwaka

Welsh

Etymology

Possibly from Middle English pyke (“pike, sharp point”). Cognate with Breton beg.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /piːɡ/
• Rhymes: -iːɡ

Noun

pig f (plural pigau)

1. beak, bill
   1. (as y big) pip (a respiratory disease in birds such as coryza)

      Synonym: pip

2. point, spike
3. spout

Derived terms

• cornbig (“hornbill”)
• deubig (“two-pointed”)
• llwybig (“spoonbill”)
• pig yr aran, garanbig (“cranesbill”)
• pig y crëyr (“storksbill”)
• pigddu (“black-beaked”)
• pigdwll (“puncture”)
• pigfelyn (“yellow-beaked”)
• pigo (“to prick, to peck, to sting”)
• pigfain, pigog (“prickly, spiky”)
• pigyn (“spike, thorn”)
• tewbig (“grosbeak”)

Mutation

References

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “pig”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies