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pig1

[pig]
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noun
  1. a young swine of either sex, especially a domestic hog, Sus scrofa, weighing less than 120 pounds (220 kg)
  2. any wild or domestic swine.
  3. the flesh of swine; pork.
  4. Informal. a person of piggish character, behavior, or habits, as one who is gluttonous, very fat, greedy, selfish, or filthy.
  5. Slang. an immoral woman; prostitute.
  6. Slang: Disparaging. a police officer.
  7. Slang. an extremely rude, ill-mannered person, especially one who is sexist or racist.
  8. Machinery. any tool or device, as a long-handled brush or scraper, used to clear the interior of a pipe or duct.
  9. Metallurgy.
    1. an oblong mass of metal that has been run while still molten into a mold of sand or the like, especially such a mass of iron from a blast furnace.
    2. one of the molds for such masses of metal.
    3. metal in the form of such masses.
    4. pig iron.
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verb (used with object), pigged, pig·ging.
  1. to mold (metal) into pigs.
  2. Informal. to eat (something) quickly; gulp: He pigged three doughnuts and ran off to school.
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verb (used without object), pigged, pig·ging.
  1. to bring forth pigs; farrow.
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Verb Phrases
  1. pig out, Slang. to overindulge in eating: We pigged out on pizza last night.
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Idioms
  1. on the pig's back, Australian Slang. in a fortunate position.
  2. pig it,
    1. to live like a pig, especially in dirt.
    2. to lead a disorganized, makeshift life; live without plan or pattern.
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Origin of pig1

1175–1225; Middle English pigge young pig, with doubled consonant appropriate to terms for smaller animals (cf. dog, frog1) but with no obvious relations; almost certainly not akin to Low German, Dutch big(ge), Middle Dutch vigghe young pig, which involve further obscurities; if Danish pige, Swedish piga maid, young girl are compared, perhaps < ON word meaning “young, small,” applied in Scand to girls but in OE to swine

pig2

[pig]
noun Scot. and North England.
  1. an earthenware crock, pot, pitcher, or jar.
  2. potter's clay; earthenware as a material.
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Origin of pig2

1400–50; late Middle English pygg < ?
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for pig

pig

noun
  1. any artiodactyl mammal of the African and Eurasian family Suidae, esp Sus scrofa (domestic pig), typically having a long head with a movable snout, a thick bristle-covered skin, and, in wild species, long curved tusks
  2. a domesticated pig weighing more than 120 pounds (54 kg)Related adjective: porcine
  3. informal a dirty, greedy, or bad-mannered person
  4. the meat of swine; pork
  5. derogatory a slang word for policeman
    1. a mass of metal, such as iron, copper, or lead, cast into a simple shape for ease of storing or transportation
    2. a mould in which such a mass of metal is formed
  7. British informal something that is difficult or unpleasant
  8. an automated device propelled through a duct or pipeline to clear impediments or check for faults, leaks, etc
  9. a pig in a poke something bought or received without prior sight or knowledge
  10. make a pig of oneself informal to overindulge oneself
  11. on the pig's back Irish and NZ successful; establishedhe's on the pig's back now
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verb pigs, pigging or pigged
  1. (intr) (of a sow) to give birth
  2. Also: pig it (intr) informal to live in squalor
  3. (tr) informal to devour (food) greedily
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See also pig out

Word Origin

C13 pigge, of obscure origin
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 pig

n.

probably from Old English *picg, found in compounds, ultimate origin unknown. Originally "young pig" (the word for adults was swine). Apparently related to Low German bigge, Dutch big ("but the phonology is difficult" -- OED). The meaning "oblong piece of metal" is first attested 1580s, on the notion of "large mass." Applied to persons, usually in contempt, since 1540s; the derogatory slang meaning "police officer" has been in underworld slang since at least 1811.

The pigs frisked my panney, and nailed my screws; the officers searched my house, and seized my picklock keys. ["Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit and Pickpocket Eloquence," London, 1811]

Another Old English word for "pig" was fearh, related to furh "furrow," from PIE *perk- "dig, furrow" (cf. Latin porc-us "pig," see pork). "This reflects a widespread IE tendency to name animals from typical attributes or activities" [Lass]. Synonyms grunter, porker are from sailors' and fishermen's euphemistic avoidance of uttering the word pig at sea, a superstition perhaps based on the fate of the Gadarene swine, who drowned. The image of a pig in a poke is attested from 1520s (see poke (n.3)). Flying pigs as a type of something unreal is from 1610s.

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v.

1670s, "to huddle together," from pig (n.). Related: Pigged; pigging. To pig out "eat voraciously" attested by 1979.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with pig

pig

In addition to the idioms beginning with pig

also see:

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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.