lag

pronunciation

How to pronounce lag in British English: UK [læɡ]word uk audio image

How to pronounce lag in American English: US [læɡ] word us audio image

  • Noun:
    the act of slowing down or falling behind
    the time between one event, process, or period and another
    one of several thin slats of wood forming the sides of a barrel or bucket
  • Verb:
    hang (back) or fall (behind) in movement, progress, development, etc.
    lock up or confine, in or as in a jail
    throw or pitch at a mark, as with coins
    cover with lagging to prevent heat loss

Word Origin

lag
lag: English has three distinct words lag. The verb ‘fall behind’ [16] is perhaps of Scandinavian origin (Norwegian has lagga ‘go slowly’), although a link has been suggested with the lag of fog, seg, lag, a dialect expression used in children’s games which represents an alteration of first, second, last. Lag ‘insulate’ [19] comes from an earlier noun lag ‘barrel stave’, which was also probably borrowed from a Scandinavian language (Swedish has lagg ‘stave’); the original material used for ‘lagging’ was wooden laths.And finally the noun lag ‘prisoner’ [19] seems to have come from an earlier verb lag, which originally meant ‘steal’, and then ‘catch, imprison’; but no one knows where this came from.
lag (v.)
"fail to keep pace," 1520s, earlier as a noun meaning "last person" (1510s), later also as an adjective (1550s, as in lag-mon "last man"), all of uncertain relationship, possibly from a Scandinavian source (compare Norwegian lagga "go slowly"), or some dialectal version of last, lack, or delay. Related: Lag; lagging. The noun meaning "retardation" is from 1855. First record of lag time is from 1951.

Example

1. However , this may reflect a time lag .
2. Analysts say that unemployment may lag changes in the economy .
3. Governmental ties already lag far behind the people-to-people relationships .
4. With a lag , growth should resume in coming months .
5. The wage lag is a key factor contributing to the rebounding competitiveness of u.s. industry .

more: >How to Use "lag" with Example Sentences