fig
/fɪɡ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.10 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The fruit of the fig tree, pear-shaped and containing many small seeds.
noun
The value of a fig, practically nothing; a fico; a whit.
noun
A Lady Finger banana, also known as the "fig banana", (cultivar of Musa acuminata)
noun
A fico, a contemptuous gesture.
Example Sentences
- "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."
- "I'll pledge you all; and a fig for Peter!"
- "About Rebecca and Jos he did not care a fig."
- "J. senses the entente between Eva and me and doesn't like it one fig."
- "figgy duff - boiled pudding with raisins"
- "“You may flog, and welcome, master,” said he, “if you'll give me a fig o' tibbacky.”"
Etymology
From Middle English fige, fygge (also fyke, from Old English fīc, see fike), borrowed from Anglo-Norman figue, borrowed from Old French figue, from Old Occitan figa, from Vulgar Latin *fīca (“fig”), from Latin fīcus (“fig tree”), from a pre-Indo European language, perhaps Phoenician 𐤐𐤂 (pg, literally “ripe fig”) (compare Biblical Hebrew פַּגָּה (paggâ, “early fallen fig”), Classical Syriac ܦܓܐ (paggāʾ), dialectal Arabic فَجّ (fajj), فِجّ (fijj)). (Another Semitic root (compare Akkadian 𒈠 (tīʾu, literally “fig”)) was borrowed into Ancient Greek as σῦκον (sûkon) (whence English sycophant; Boeotian τῦκον (tûkon)) and Armenian as թուզ (tʻuz).) The soap-making sense derives from the resemblance of the granulations in and texture of the soap to those of a fig. Doublet of fico.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: fige, figue, figa, *fīca, fīcus, 𐤐𐤂
Usage
Inflected Forms
figs (plural)
figs (present, singular)
figging (participle, present)
figged (participle, past)
figged (past)
fig. (alternative)
the Fig (canonical)