shag1
n.
- a carpet or rug with a long, rough pile.
▸cloth with a velvet nap on one side.
- a thick, tangled hairstyle.
- coarse-cut tobacco.
Etymology
OE sceacga ‘rough matted hair’, of Gmc origin; rel. to shaw2.
shag2
n.
a cormorant with greenish-black plumage and a long curly crest in the breeding season.
[
Phalacrocorax aristotelis.]
▸chiefly NZ any cormorant.
Etymology
C16: perh. a use of shag1, with ref. to the bird's ‘shaggy’ crest.
shag3
v.
(shags, shagging, shagged)
have sex with.
n.
an act of sexual intercourse.
Derivative
Etymology
C18: of unknown origin.
shag4
n.
a dance originating in the US, characterized by vigorous hopping from one foot to the other.
Etymology
1930s: of obscure derivation; perh. from obs. shag ‘waggle’.
shag5
v.
Baseball chase or catch (fly balls) for practice.
Etymology
early 20th cent.: of unknown origin.
