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nag

 - 9 dictionary results

nag

1[nag] verb, nagged, nag⋅ging, noun
–verb (used with object)
1. to annoy by persistent faultfinding, complaints, or demands.
2. to keep in a state of troubled awareness or anxiety, as a recurrent pain or problem: She had certain misgivings that nagged her.
–verb (used without object)
3. to find fault or complain in an irritating, wearisome, or relentless manner (often fol. by at): If they start nagging at each other, I'm going home.
4. to cause pain, discomfort, distress, depression, etc. (often fol. by at): This headache has been nagging at me all day.
–noun
5. Also, nagger. a person who nags, esp. habitually.
6. an act or instance of nagging.

Origin:
1815–25; < ON nagga to rub, grumble, quarrel; akin to MLG naggen to irritate. See gnaw


1. pester, harass, hector, irritate, vex.

nag

2[nag]
–noun
1. an old, inferior, or worthless horse.
2. Slang. any horse, esp. a racehorse.
3. a small riding horse or pony.

Origin:
1350–1400; late ME nagge; connected with D neg(ge) small horse, itself attested late and of obscure orig.; said to be akin to neigh
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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nag 1   (nāg)   
v.   nagged, nag·ging, nags

v.   tr.
  1. To annoy by constant scolding, complaining, or urging.

  2. To torment persistently, as with anxiety or pain.

v.   intr.
  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.

n.  One who nags.

[Probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse gnaga, to bite, gnaw.]
nag'ger n., nag'ging·ly adv.
nag 2   (nāg)   
n.  
  1. A horse, especially:

    1. An old or worn-out horse.

    2. Slang A racehorse.

  2. Archaic A small saddle horse or pony.


[Middle English nagge, possibly of Low German origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
nag

  1. tv.
    to pester someone constantly. (From a centuries-old word meaning gnaw.) : Stop nagging me!
  2. n.
    a worn-out horse. (Probably from a centuries-old word for horse.) : I bet a week's pay on that nag. Look what happened!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

nag  (v.)
"annoy by scolding," 1828, originally a dialectal word, probably ultimately from a Scand. source (cf. O.N. gnaga "to complain," lit. "to bite, gnaw," dial. Swed. and Norw. nagga "to gnaw") related to O.E. gnagan "to gnaw" (see gnaw).

nag  (n.)
"old horse," c.1400, nagge "small riding horse," of unknown origin, perhaps related to Du. negge, neg (but these are more recent than the Eng. word). Term of abuse is a transferred sense, first recorded 1598.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
NAG
N-acetylglutamate
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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