fag

See also fág, and fàg

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -æɡ

Etymology 1

Probably from fag end (“remnant”), from Middle English fagge (“flap”)

Noun

fag (plural fags)

1. (US, technical) In textile inspections, a rough or coarse defect in the woven fabric.
2. (US, technical) A photovoltaic cell that is no longer in use.
3. (UK and Australian, colloquial, dated in US and Canada) A cigarette.
   • 2001, Oliver Sacks, Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood, Alfred A. Knopf (2001), 15,

     All of them, like my mother, were heavy smokers, and after warming themselves by the fire, they would sit on the sofa and smoke, lobbing their web fag ends into the fire.

   • The Bulletin, Oregon, Jan 25, 1968

     He'd Phase Out Fag Industry: A UCLA professor has called for the phasing out of the cigarette industry....

4. (UK, obsolete, colloquial) The worst part or end of a thing.
   • 1788, William Perry editor, The Royal standard English dictionary‎^[1]:

     Fag, s. the worst part or end of anything.

Synonyms

• (cigarette): ciggy (Australia), smoke, (Cockney rhyming slang) oily rag

Translations

cigarette

Finnish: rööki (fi) French: clope (fr) f. Greek: σιγαρέττο (el) (sigarétto) n.

Hungarian: cigaretta (hu), cigi (hu) Italian: cicca (it) f. Russian: папироса (ru) f., сигарета (ru) f.

Etymology 2

Probably alteration of flag (“droop, tire”)

Noun

fag (plural fags)

1. (UK, colloquial) A chore; an arduous and tiresome task.
2. (UK, archaic, colloquial) Term used in UK public schools for a younger student acting as a servant for senior students.

Verb

fag (third-person singular simple present fags, present participle fagging, simple past and past participle fagged)

1. (transitive, colloquial, used mainly in passive form) To make exhausted, tired out.
2. (intransitive, colloquial) To droop; to tire.
3. (UK, archaic, colloquial) For a younger student to act as a servant for senior students in UK public schools.

Etymology 3

From faggot

Noun

fag (plural fags)

1. (colloquial, vulgar, derogatory) A male homosexual.
   • 1926, American Neurological Association, New York Neurological Association et al, Journal of nervous and mental disease, volume 94, page 467: 

     In schizophrenics, however, the homosexual outlet is sooner or later ... ideas that strangers call them "cs," "fairy," "woman," "fag," " fruit," etc.). ...

   • 2008, Paul Ryan Brewer, Value war: public opinion and the politics of gay rights^[2], ISBN 0742562115, 9780742562110, page 60:

     ... what appeared to be overt appeals to anti-gay sentiment. When House Majority Whip Dick Armey referred to fellow Congressman Barney Frank as "Barney Fag" in 1995, he suffered a barage of negative publicity that prompted him to explain his choice of words as a slip of the tongue.

2. (US, colloquial, vulgar, pejorative) An annoying person.

   Why did you do that, you fag?

3. (colloquial, vulgar, derogatory) A homosexual person

Usage notes

When used in North America to describe a male homosexual, fag is a very offensive and vulgar term, but not as offensive and vulgar as faggot. However, the term may be used in a good-natured manner among homosexual men themselves.

Derived terms

• fagmosexual

Synonyms

• (male homosexual): faggot, queer
• (annoying person): asshole, jerk

Translations

homosexual

Dutch: flikker (nl) Estonian: pede (et) Finnish: hintti (fi), hinttari (fi) French: pédé (fr) m., tapette (fr) f. German: Schwuchtel (de) f., Tunte (de) f. Greek: πούστης (el) (pústis) m., αδερφή (el) (aderfí) f. Hungarian: meleg (hu), homoszexuális (hu), buzi (hu) (vulgar) Italian: finocchio (it) m.

Latvian: homiķis (lv) m. Polish: pedał (pl) (vulgar), ciota (pl) (vulgar) Portuguese: (Portugal) paneleiro (pt) m.; (Brazil) bicha (pt) f., veado (pt) m. Russian: голубой (ru) m., пед (ru) m., пидор (ru) m. (vulgar) Spanish: puto (es) m. Urdu: گانڈو (ur) (gântu)

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Danish

Etymology

From German Fach (“compartment, drawer, subject”), from Old High German fah (“wall”).

Noun

fag n. (singular definite faget, plural indefinite fag)

1. subject
2. trade, craft, profession
3. bay

Inflection

    Inflection of fag

neuter gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative, dative and accusative	fag	faget	fag	fagene
genitive	fags	fagets	fags	fagenes

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Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA: [faːx]

Noun

fag n.

1. subject (particular area of study)

This Icelandic entry was created from the translations listed at subject. It may be less reliable than other entries, and may be missing parts of speech or additional senses. Please also see fag in the Icelandic Wiktionary. This notice will be removed when the entry is checked. (more information) March 2010

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Norwegian

Noun

fag

1. subject (school)

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Polish

Noun

fag m.

1. phage

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Romanian

fag

Etymology 1

From Latin fāgus.

Noun

fag m. (plural fagi)

1. beech (tree of Fagus family)

Etymology 2

From Latin favus.

Noun

fag n. (plural faguri)

1. (archaic) honeycomb

Synonyms

• fagure