Suggested Usage: "The stable was short of horses, but his imprecations to the management were so irksome they finally gave him one: a nag for a nag.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
nag[sup]1[/sup]
PRONUNCIATION: năg
VERB: Inflected forms: nagged, nag·ging, nags
TRANSITIVE VERB: 1. To annoy by constant scolding, complaining, or urging. 2. To torment persistently, as with anxiety or pain.
INTRANSITIVE VERB: 1. To scold, complain, or find fault constantly: nagging at the children. 2. To be a constant source of anxiety or annoyance: The half-remembered quotation nagged at my mind.
NOUN: One who nags.
ETYMOLOGY: Probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse gnaga, to bite, gnaw.
OTHER FORMS: nagger —NOUN
nagging·ly —ADVERB
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nag[sup]2[/sup]
PRONUNCIATION: năg
NOUN: 1. A horse, especially: a. An old or worn-out horse. b. Slang A racehorse. 2. Archaic A small saddle horse or pony.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English nagge, possibly of Low German origin.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
