pug1
[puhg]
- one of a breed of small, short-haired dogs having a tightly curled tail, a deeply wrinkled face, and a smooth coat that is black or silver and fawn with black markings.
- pug nose.
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Origin of pug1
First recorded in 1560–70; origin uncertain
pug2
[puhg]
- to knead (clay or the like) with water to make it plastic, as for brickmaking.
- to fill or stop with clay or the like.
- to pack or cover with mortar or the like, as to deaden sound.
- to mix with water so as to form a paste.
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Origin of pug2
First recorded in 1800–10; origin uncertain
pug3
[puhg]
- a boxer; pugilist.
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Origin of pug3
First recorded in 1855–60; short for pugilist
pug4
[puhg]
- Also called pugmark. a footprint, especially of a game animal.
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- to track (especially game) by following footprints or another spoor.
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Origin of pug4
First recorded in 1860–65, pug is from the Hindi word pag footprint
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for pug
Contemporary Examples
A giant silk-screen of Sophia Loren hung in the background; the couple's pug nuzzled at the trio's feet.
Historical Examples
Then I laughed; they won't mind my getting rid of freckles and a pug nose.
The Bacillus of BeautyHarriet Stark
It came from the pug, which lay coiled up on the sofa, asleep.
The ChristianHall Caine
"So you see what went when I went," the pug said, after a noisy pause.
A Boswell of BaghdadE. V. Lucas
They knew nothing of mythology; of pointed ears and pug noses and goat's feet.
GigoloEdna Ferber
The spaniel and pug (p. 182) are most liable to bronchocele.
pug1
- Also called: carlin a small compact breed of dog with a smooth coat, lightly curled tail, and a short wrinkled nose
- any of several small geometrid moths, mostly of the genus Eupithecia, with slim forewings held outstretched at rest
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Word Origin
C16: of uncertain origin
pug2
- to mix or knead (clay) with water to form a malleable mass or paste, often in a pug mill
- to fill or stop with clay or a similar substance
- (of cattle) to trample (the ground) into consolidated mud
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Word Origin
C19: of uncertain origin
pug3
- a slang name for boxer (def. 1)
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Word Origin
C20: shortened from pugilist
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 pug
n.
1560s, general term of endearment (also puggy), probably related to puck (n.2); one of the earliest senses is "sprite, imp" (1610s). The sense of "miniature dog" is from 1749 (pug-dog); that of "monkey" is 1660s. The word at various times meant "a bargeman" (1590s), "a harlot" (c.1600), and "an upper servant in a great house" (1847).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper