pig

[ pig ]

/ pɪg /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pig ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a young swine of either sex, especially a domestic hog, Sus scrofa, weighing less than 120 pounds (220 kg)

any wild or domestic swine.

the flesh of swine; pork.

Informal. a person of piggish character, behavior, or habits, as one who is gluttonous, very fat, greedy, selfish, or filthy.

Slang. an immoral woman; prostitute.

Slang: Disparaging. a police officer.

Slang. an extremely rude, ill-mannered person, especially one who is sexist or racist.

Machinery. any tool or device, as a long-handled brush or scraper, used to clear the interior of a pipe or duct.

Metallurgy.

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.
one of the molds for such masses of metal.
metal in the form of such masses.
pig iron.

verb (used with object), pigged, pig·ging.

to mold (metal) into pigs.

Informal. to eat (something) quickly; gulp: He pigged three doughnuts and ran off to school.

verb (used without object), pigged, pig·ging.

to bring forth pigs; farrow.

Verb Phrases

pig out, Slang. to overindulge in eating: We pigged out on pizza last night.

Nearby words

piezometer, piezometry, pif, piffle, piffling, pig, pig bed, pig boiling, pig dog, pig fern, pig in a poke

Idioms

on the pig's back, Australian Slang. in a fortunate position.

pig it,

to live like a pig, especially in dirt.
to lead a disorganized, makeshift life; live without plan or pattern.

Origin of pig

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

Definition for pig (2 of 2)

pig

[ pig ]

/ pɪg /

noun Scot. and North England.

an earthenware crock, pot, pitcher, or jar.

potter's clay; earthenware as a material.

Origin of pig

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

He has said he believes Al Sharpton is a “race pimp” and a pig.
How James Woods Became Obama’s Biggest Twitter Troll|Asawin Suebsaeng|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Unfortunately, neither of our teams had pinpointed the pig's burial site.
Knowing Where the Bodies Are Buried: An Excerpt From 'Lives in Ruins'|Marilyn Johnson|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pig [growling sotto voce behind his hand, mock-furtive as a Disneyland Foxy Loxy]: Take 35 percent off the top and split!
The Stacks: Grateful Dead I Have Known|Ed McClanahan|August 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Because too often, YouTube fame is as fleeting as a thirty-second video of a pig saving a goat from drowning.
Inside StyleHaul, the Largest Fashion Network on YouTube You’ve Never Heard Of|Lizzie Crocker|August 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

When we last left him, Hannibal convinced the pig farmer to eat his own face.
Hugh Dancy on ‘Hannibal’s’ Brilliantly Batsh*t Finale and the Future of Will Graham|Marlow Stern|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If you had had the skinning of that pig, Master Cap, it would have left you sore hands.
The Pathfinder|James Fenimore Cooper
As well might Dick Moy have attempted to punish a pig by throwing it into the mud as to distress Billy by sousing him with water!
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne
It was a sheer waste of breath, this artistic lying to such a pig's head!
Brothers of Peril|Theodore Goodridge Roberts
At a distance he looked exactly like a pig, and one of the shooters mistook him for one.
Sport and Work on the Nepaul Frontier|James Inglis
"A pig," Mr. Pericles here ventured to remind her, murmuring as one in a dream.
Sandra Belloni, Complete|George Meredith

British Dictionary definitions for pig

pig

/ (pɪɡ) /

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

a mass of metal, such as iron, copper, or lead, cast into a simple shape for ease of storing or transportation
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

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 (1 of 2)

pig

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.

Word Origin and History for pig (1 of 2)

pig

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

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

pig

noun

verb (used with object), pigged, pig·ging.

verb (used without object), pigged, pig·ging.

Verb Phrases

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of pig

Definition for pig (2 of 2)

pig

noun Scot. and North England.

Origin of pig

Examples from the Web for pig

British Dictionary definitions for pig

pig

noun

verb pigs, pigging or pigged

Word Origin for pig

Word Origin and History for pig (1 of 2)

pig

Word Origin and History for pig (1 of 2)

pig

Idioms and Phrases with pig

pig