Fag
/fæɡ/noun
A highly offensive slur for a gay man; in British English, it can also mean a cigarette or exhausting work.
Did you know?Although the word ultimately connects to “faggot,” there is no solid evidence that medieval people routinely used it as a slur for gay men; that sense emerged much later, especially in American English.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
fascis
“A bundle or packet, especially a bundle of rods carried as a symbol of authority.”
Medieval Latin / Italian
Italian
fagotto
“A bundle of sticks; also the source of the musical instrument name “bassoon.””
14th Century
Old French
fagot
“A bundle of sticks or firewood, borrowed from Italian.”
15th–16th Century
English
faggot
“A bundle of sticks or fuel; later also a bundle of scraps or refuse.”
19th Century
English
fag
“A shortened form of “faggot,” used in British schools for a junior servant or drudge; British slang also developed the cigarette sense.”
Early 20th Century
American English
fag
“A shortened homophobic slur, documented in this sense by the early 1900s and now recognized as highly offensive.”