bagge

See also: bägge

Middle English

Usually taken to be borrowed from Old Norse baggi;^[1] perhaps reinforced by Old French bague, both of unknown etymology.^[2] However, some hypothesise derivation from a Old English *bagga (“badger, bag”), which alongside forms such as Middle Dutch bagghe (“piglet”) would be cognate to baggi.^[3]

bagge

^ Dance, Richard (2003), Words derived from Old Norse in early Middle English: studies in the vocabulary of the South-West Midland texts (Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies; 246)‎^[1], Part B, Tempe, Arizona: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, →ISBN, →OCLC, § 3.1, page 410.
^ “bagge, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
^ Zettersten, Arne (1965), “bagge (sb.)”, in Studies in the dialect and vocabulary of the Ancrene Riwle (Lund Studies in English; 34)‎^[2], Lund: C. W. K. Gleerup, →OCLC, page 29.

Cognate with Old Norse and Icelandic baggi, Old Norse bǫggr, Middle English bagge. The hypothesis for the shift in sense from "bag" to "ram" is by reference to the testicles of an unneutered ram. Doublet of bagage and packe.

bagge c