lug
pronunciation
How to pronounce lug in British English:
UK [lʌg]
How to pronounce lug in American English:
US [lʌɡ]
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- Noun:
- a sail with four corners that is hoisted from a yard that is oblique to the mast
- a projecting piece that is used to lift or support or turn something
- marine worms having a row of tufted gills along each side of the back; often used for fishing bait
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- Verb:
- carry with difficulty
- obstruct
Word Origin
- lug
- lug: English has three words lug, two of them possibly connected. The verb, ‘pull’ [14], may be related to Swedish lugga ‘pull someone’s hair’, suggesting a Scandinavian origin. And it has been pointed out that the various meanings of the noun lug [15], such as ‘ear’ and ‘projecting handle’, share a common semantic element ‘capable of being held (and pulled)’, so the noun may have been derived from the verb. The lug- of lugworm [17] may be of Celtic origin.
- lug (v.)
- late 14c., "to move (something) heavily or slowly," from Scandinavian (compare Swedish lugga, Norwegian lugge "to pull by the hair"); see lug (n.). Related: Lugged; lugging.
- lug (n.)
- 1620s, "handle of a pitcher," from lugge (Scottish) "earflap of a cap, ear" (late 15c.; according to OED, the common word for "ear" in 19c. Scotland), probably from Scandinavian (compare Swedish lugg "forelock," Norwegian lugg "tuft of hair"). The connecting notion is "something that can be gripped and pulled." Applied 19c. to mechanical objects that can be grabbed or gripped. Meaning "stupid fellow" is from 1924; that of "lout, sponger" is 1931, American English. Compare lug-nut (1869), nut closed at one end as a cap.
Example
- 1. Tighten metal cap using special tool lug wrench .
- 2. Press the lug in using a narrow screwdriver .
- 3. Push in the connector until the locking lug is felt to engage .
- 4. Somehow I managed to lug the wet clothes to the laundromat .
- 5. Use lug wrench set to do this .