pug

[puhg]

noun

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.

Origin of pug

First recorded in 1560–70; origin uncertain

Related formspug·gi·ness, nounpug·gish, pug·gy, adjective

pug

[puhg]

verb (used with object), pugged, pug·ging.

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.

Origin of pug

First recorded in 1800–10; origin uncertain

pug

[puhg]

noun Slang.

a boxer; pugilist.

Origin of pug

First recorded in 1855–60; short for pugilist

pug

⁴

[puhg]

noun

Also called pugmark. a footprint, especially of a game animal.

verb (used with object), pugged, pug·ging.

to track (especially game) by following footprints or another spoor.

Origin of pug

⁴

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 of pug

A giant silk-screen of Sophia Loren hung in the background; the couple's pug nuzzled at the trio's feet.
Secrets of Online Sex
Jessica Bennett
April 24, 2011

Historical Examples of pug

Then I laughed; they won't mind my getting rid of freckles and a pug nose.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
It came from the pug, which lay coiled up on the sofa, asleep.
The Christian
Hall Caine
"So you see what went when I went," the pug said, after a noisy pause.
A Boswell of Baghdad
E. V. Lucas
They knew nothing of mythology; of pointed ears and pug noses and goat's feet.
Gigolo
Edna Ferber
The spaniel and pug (p. 182) are most liable to bronchocele.
The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, Vol. I.
Charles Darwin

British Dictionary definitions for pug

pug

noun

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

Derived Formspuggish, adjective

Word Origin for pug

C16: of uncertain origin

pug

verb pugs, pugging or pugged (tr)

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

Word Origin for pug

C19: of uncertain origin

pug

noun

a slang name for boxer (def. 1)

Word Origin for pug

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

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).