Shag
/ʃæɡ/noun
A rough, coarse mass or texture; also a type of dance, haircut, or bird.
Did you know?The word’s oldest English sense is about roughness or shaggy hair, and that same root helped produce the bird name because its feathers looked coarse and bristly.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skagaz
“rough hair; shaggy mass”
Old English
OE
sceacga
“a tuft of hair; shaggy hair”
Middle English
ME
shagge
“coarse hair or a rough, hairy texture”
16th Century
English
shag
“coarse, rough hair; a rough nap or pile”
18th Century
English
shag
“a kind of lively dance; later, a haircut and other modern senses”
Modern English
English
shag
“rough hair, a dance, a bird, or a coarse fabric finish”