jug

[juhg]

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noun

a large container usually made of earthenware, metal, or glass, commonly having a handle, a narrow neck, and sometimes a cap or cork.

the contents of such a container; jugful: a jug of wine.

Slang. jail; prison.

jugs, Slang: Vulgar. a woman's breasts.

verb (used with object), jugged, jug·ging.

to put into a jug.

to stew (meat) in an earthenware jug.

Slang. to put in jail; imprison.

Origin of jug

1530–40; perhaps special use of Jug hypocoristic form of Joan, woman's name

jug

[juhg]

noun

a sound made by a bird, especially a nightingale.

verb (used without object), jugged, jug·ging.

to make such a sound.

Origin of jug

First recorded in 1515–25; imitative

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for jug

beaker, decanter, flask, jar, urn, bucket, vase, bottle, pot, carafe, tub, crock, amphora, pitcher, flagon, ewer, vessel, canteen, hooker, cruet

Examples from the Web for jug

Contemporary Examples of jug

He takes a 2-gallon jug of water out of his freezer and puts it in his insulated lunch bag.
‘Degree Mills’ Are Exploiting Veterans and Making Millions Off the GI Bill
Aaron Glantz
June 28, 2014
Throughout proceedings this jug was repeatedly raised and toasted to us, his audience.
Two Chickens, an Old Guitar, and a Group of Strangers: A Life-Changing Feast in Brazil
Annabel Langbein
November 29, 2013
Once it all came to the boil, the jug of blood was mixed with a little vinegar and a little cornmeal and stirred into the stew.
Two Chickens, an Old Guitar, and a Group of Strangers: A Life-Changing Feast in Brazil
Annabel Langbein
November 29, 2013

Historical Examples of jug

A friend and a tent, a jug of whisky and a lot of jolly good tobacco.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
Then pour off the thin liquid from the top, and cork the jug tightly.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
Then he seized him by the hair and thrust him into the jug of water.
The Chinese Fairy Book
Various
Plunge it into a jug of cold water, and let it stand for thirty minutes.
The Skilful Cook
Mary Harrison
Strain the liquor through a tammis into a jug, with the peel of a lemon cut very thin, and two table-spoonfuls of clarified sugar.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton

British Dictionary definitions for jug

jug

noun

a vessel for holding or pouring liquids, usually having a handle and a spout or lipUS equivalent: pitcher

Australian and NZ such a vessel used as a kettlean electric jug

US a large vessel with a narrow mouth

Also called: jugful the amount of liquid held by a jug

British informal a glass of alcoholic drink, esp beer

a slang word for jail

verb jugs, jugging or jugged

to stew or boil (meat, esp hare) in an earthenware container

(tr) slang to put in jail

Word Origin for jug

C16: probably from Jug, nickname from girl's name Joan

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for jug

"deep vessel for carrying liquids," late 15c., jugge, variant of jubbe, of unknown origin, perhaps from jug "a low woman, a maidservant" (mid-16c.), a familiar alteration of a common personal name, Joan or Judith. Use as a musical instrument is attested from 1946. Jughead "klutz" is from 1926; jughandle "tight curved road used for turns" is from 1961. Jugs for "woman's breasts" first recorded 1920 in Australian slang, short for milk jugs.