Fagging
/ˈfæɡɪŋ/noun
The former British public-school practice in which younger pupils performed personal tasks and errands for older pupils.
Did you know?In nineteenth-century British boarding schools, fagging could involve lighting fires, polishing boots, running errands, and other duties imposed by senior pupils.
Etymological Timeline
15th Century
English
fag
“To droop, become weary, or grow exhausted; the origin of this verb is uncertain.”
16th Century
English
fag
“To work hard or drudge, especially at exhausting labor.”
17th Century
English
fag
“A younger schoolboy assigned to perform menial tasks for an older pupil.”
18th Century
English
fagging
“The institutionalized practice of assigning junior pupils as servants to seniors.”
19th Century
English
fagging
“A formal or customary system of service in British public schools.”
Modern English
English
fagging
“Usually a historical term for that school practice; the related word fag also has offensive modern senses in some varieties of English.”
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