Plug
/plʌɡ/noun
A piece of material used to stop or fill a hole, or a device for making an electrical connection.
Did you know?The word likely began with the idea of a lump or clump of material, and only later expanded into the everyday object that seals holes and the modern electrical connector.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
plugge
“A stopper or peg used to close a hole.”
Middle Dutch
Dutch
plugge
“A peg, pin, or stopper.”
Middle Low German
Germ
plucke
“A peg or stopper.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*plug-
“A lump, peg, or stopper (reconstructed).”
Modern English
English
plug
“A stopper, a connector, or a device inserted into an opening.”