keg
/kɛɡ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.07 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A round, traditionally wooden container of lesser capacity than a barrel, often used to store beer.
verb
The pulling down of someone's trousers or kegs, oftentimes as a kind of bullying or prank.
British usage
Example Sentences
- "He bore on his shoulder a stout keg, that seemed full of liquor, and made signs for Rip to approach and assist him with his load."
- "He gestured toward the empty chair and the other officers began passing him their kegged beef and ship's biscuit."
- "Many of us get impatient with the tedium of bottling after a year or two and start thinking about kegging our beers instead."
Etymology
From Middle English kag, from Old Norse kaggi (“keg”), likely a diminutive of Proto-Germanic *kagô (“bush, branch, stalk, stump”). Cognate with Icelandic kaggi (“keg; cask”), Norwegian kagg (“keg”), Swedish kagge (“keg”), Low German kag (“vessel; craft”), Dutch kaag (“vessel; craft”). Compare also English cag and chag. The modern form keg with /ɛ/ is due to a dialectal raising of /a///æ/ to /ɛ/ before velars (cf. fleg); the expected form is preserved in dialectal /kæɡ/, while /keɪɡ/ reflects further raising that occurred in some dialects.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /kɛɡ/
- British English: /kɛɡ/
Usage
- Transitive verb
- British usage