noun
a person who displays or demands of others pointlessly precise conformity, fussiness about trivialities, or exaggerated propriety, especially in a self-righteous or irritating manner.
Related forms
prig·gish, adjective
prig·gish·ly, adverb
prig·gish·ness, noun
un·prig·gish, adjective
Synonyms
prude, puritan, bluenose.
prude, puritan, bluenose.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
verb (used with object)
1.
Chiefly British. to steal.
verb (used without object)
2.
Scot. and North England. to haggle or argue over price.
3.
British Informal. to beg or entreat; ask a favor.
noun
4.
Chiefly British. a thief.
Origin:
1505–15; orig. thieves' cant; origin uncertain
1505–15; orig. thieves' cant; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To prig
00:10
Prig
is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
prig1 (prɪɡ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| a person who is smugly self-righteous and narrow-minded | |
| [C18: of unknown origin] | |
| 'priggery1 | |
| —n | |
| 'priggishness1 | |
| —n | |
| 'priggish1 | |
| —adj | |
| 'priggishly1 | |
| —adv | |
| 'priggism1 | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
prig
1753, "precisian in speech or manners," of unknown origin; earlier "dandy, fop" (1676), "thief" (1610, in form prigger recorded from 1561), also a thieves' cant word for "a tinker" (1567), though connection of this with the other meaning is uncertain.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Example sentences
And then take a string of euphemisms so nasty that they would occur only to an aging, isolated, lecherous prig.
Matching Quote
Related Searches
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
