• Pig

    Pronunciation

    • IPA: /pɪɡ/
    • Rhymes: -ɪɡ

    Origin 1

    From Middle English pigge ("pig, pigling") (originally a term for a young pig, with adult pigs being swine), apparently from Old English *picga (attested only in compounds, such as picgbrēad ("mast, pig-fodder")). Connection to early Dutch bigge (modern Dutch big ("piglet")), West Frisian bigge ("pigling"), and similar terms in Middle Low German is sometimes proposed, "but the phonology is difficult"

    A new English dictionary on historical principles

    and other sources say the words are "almost certainly not" related.

    Dictionary.com

    British slang sense "police officer" from ante 1785.

    2003, Victoria Fromkin, Robert Rodman, Nina M. Hyams, An Introduction to Language, %22pigs%22+police+-intitle:%22%22+-inauthor:%22%22&dq=%22pig%22|%22pigs%22+police+-intitle:%22%22+-inauthor:%22%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6jLXT4-XMsHYigfxvJS4Aw&redir_esc=y page 474 — Similarly, the use of the word pig for “policeman” goes back at least as far as 1785, when a writer of the time called a Bow Street police officer a “China Street pig.”

    Noun

    pig

    (plural pigs)
    1. Any of several mammalian species of the genus Sus, having cloven hooves, bristles and a nose adapted for digging; especially the domesticated farm animal Sus scrofa.The farmer kept a pen with two pigs that he fed from table scraps and field waste.
    2. (specifically) A young swine, a piglet.
    3. (uncountable) The edible meat of such an animal; pork.Some religions prohibit their adherents from eating pig.
    4. Someone who overeats or eats rapidly and noisily.You gluttonous pig! Now that you've eaten all the cupcakes, there will be none for the party!
    5. A nasty or disgusting person.She considered him a pig as he invariably stared at her bosom when they talked.
    6. A dirty or slovenly person.He was a pig and his apartment a pigpen; take-away containers and pizza boxes in a long, moldy stream lined his counter tops.
    7. (now chiefly US, UK, Australia, derogatory, slang) A police officer. From ante 1785.The protester shouted, “Don't give in to the pigs!” as he was arrested.
    113
    1. (informal) A difficult problem.Hrm...this one's a real pig: I've been banging my head against the wall over it for hours!
    2. (countable and uncountable) A block of cast metal.The conveyor carried the pigs from the smelter to the freight cars.After the ill-advised trade, the investor was stuck with worthless options for 10,000 tons of iron pig.
    3. The mold in which a block of metal is cast.The pig was cracked, and molten metal was oozing from the side.
    4. (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.Unfortunately, the pig sent to clear the obstruction got lodged in a tight bend, adding to the problem.
    5. (pejorative) a person who is obese to the extent of resembling a pig (the animal)
    6. (Military slang, US) a slang term for the M60 general purpose machine gun due to it's bulk size, weight, and eternal works in the South Vietnam environment.Unfortunately, the M60 is about twenty-four pounds and is very unbalanced. You try carrying the pig around the jungle see how you feel with it.

    Synonyms

    Hyponyms

    Derived terms

    terms derived from the noun "pig"

    Descendants

    • Abenaki: piks from "pigs"
    • Malecite-Passamaquoddy: piks from "pigs"

    Full definition of pig

    Verb

    1. (of swine) to give birth.The black sow pigged at seven this morning.
    2. (intransitive) To greedily consume (especially food).''They were pigging on the free food at the bar.
      • 2009, Thomas Pynchon, Inherent Vice, Vintage 2010, p. 349:"Wow, Doc. That's heavy." Denis sat there pigging on the joint as usual.
    3. (intransitive) To huddle or lie together like pigs, in one bed.

    Origin 2

    Origin unknown. See piggin.

    Noun

    pig

    (plural pigs)
    1. (Scottish) earthenware, or an earthenware shard
    2. An earthenware hot-water jar to warm a bed; a stone bed warmer

    Derived terms

    Origin 3

    Shortening of pigeon

    Noun

    pig

    (plural pigs)
    1. (UK) a pigeon.
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