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RELATED WORDS

hog, swine, boar, piglet, sow, porker, shoat, piggy, porky

Idioms

    on the pig's back, Australian Slang. in a fortunate position.
    pig it,
    1. to live like a pig, especially in dirt.
    2. to lead a disorganized, makeshift life; live without plan or pattern.

Origin of pig

1
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

pig

2
[pig]

noun Scot. and North England.

an earthenware crock, pot, pitcher, or jar.
potter's clay; earthenware as a material.

Origin of pig

2
1400–50; late Middle English pygg < ?
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pig

Contemporary Examples of pig

Historical Examples of pig

British Dictionary definitions for pig

pig

noun

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
a domesticated pig weighing more than 120 pounds (54 kg)Related adjective: porcine
informal a dirty, greedy, or bad-mannered person
the meat of swine; pork
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
British informal something that is difficult or unpleasant
an automated device propelled through a duct or pipeline to clear impediments or check for faults, leaks, etc
a pig in a poke something bought or received without prior sight or knowledge
make a pig of oneself informal to overindulge oneself
on the pig's back Irish and NZ successful; establishedhe's on the pig's back now

verb pigs, pigging or pigged

(intr) (of a sow) to give birth
Also: pig it (intr) informal to live in squalor
(tr) informal to devour (food) greedily
See also pig out

Word Origin for pig

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.

v.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with pig

pig

In addition to the idioms beginning with pig

  • pig in a poke
  • pig it
  • pig out

also see:

  • in a pig's eye
  • like pigs in clover
  • make a pig of oneself
  • when pigs fly
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.