egg

See also: Egg

English

Chicken eggs in a nest
An egg being cooked for food
An Easter egg made of chocolate and caramel

Pronunciation

  • enPR: ĕg, IPA(key): /ɛɡ/
  • (also) enPR: āg, IPA(key): /eɪɡ/ (some Canadian and US accents)
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛɡ

Etymology 1

From Middle English egge, from Old Norse egg (“egg”), from Proto-Germanic *ajją (“egg”) (by Holtzmann's Law), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm (“egg”). Cognate with Icelandic egg (“egg”), Norwegian egg (“egg”), Swedish ägg (“egg”), Danish æg (“egg”). The native English ey (plural eyren), akin to Dutch ei (plural eieren) and German Ei (plural Eier) and ultimately from the same Proto-Germanic root, survived into the 16th century before being fully displaced by egg. More at ey.

Noun

egg (plural eggs)

  1. (zoology, countable) An approximately spherical or ellipsoidal body produced by birds, reptiles, insects and other animals, housing the embryo during its development.
  2. (countable, uncountable) The egg of a domestic fowl (especially a hen) or its contents, used as food.
    I also determine the minimal amount of egg required to make good mayonnaise.
    We made a big omelette with three eggs.
    The farmer offered me some fresh eggs, but I told him I was allergic to egg.
  3. (biology, countable) The female primary cell, the ovum.
    • 2013 May-June, Katrina G. Claw, “Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:
      Many genes with reproductive roles also have antibacterial and immune functions, which indicate that the threat of microbial attack on the sperm or egg may be a major influence on rapid evolution during reproduction.
  4. Anything shaped like an egg, such as an Easter egg or a chocolate egg.
  5. A swelling on one's head, usually large or noticeable, associated with an injury.
  6. (mildly pejorative, slang, ethnic slur), (potentially offensive) A person of Caucasian (Western) ancestry, who has a strong desire to learn about and immerse themself in East Asian culture, and/or such a person who is perceived as behaving as if they were Asian (from the "white" outside and "yellow" inside).
  7. (New Zealand, pejorative) A foolish or obnoxious person.
    Shut up, you egg!
  8. (informal) A person, fellow.
    good egg
    bad egg
    tough egg
Derived terms
Translations

See egg/translations § Noun.

Verb

egg (third-person singular simple present eggs, present participle egging, simple past and past participle egged)

  1. To throw eggs at.
  2. To dip in or coat with beaten egg (cooking).
  3. To distort a circular cross-section (as in a tube) to an elliptical or oval shape, either inadvertently or intentionally.
    After I cut the tubing, I found that I had slightly egged it in the vise.
Translations

See also

Etymology 2

From Middle English eggen, from Old Norse eggja (“to incite”), from egg (“edge”).

Verb

egg (third-person singular simple present eggs, present participle egging, simple past and past participle egged)

  1. (transitive, obsolete except in egg on) To encourage, incite.
    • 14th c., William Langland, Piers Plowman, Passus 1,
      Þerinne wonieth a wiȝte · þat wronge is yhote
      Fader of falshed · and founded it hym-selue
      Adam and Eue · he egged to ille
      Conseilled caym · to kullen his brother
    • 1571, Arthur Golding, The Psalmes of David and others. With M. John Calvins Commentaries, “Epistle Dedicatorie,”
      […] yit have wee one thing in our selves and of our selves (even originall sinne, concupiscence or lust) which never ceaseth too egge us and allure us from God […]
Derived terms
Translations

Anagrams

Faroese

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ɛkː]

Etymology 1

From Old Norse egg, from Proto-Germanic *ajją, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm.

Noun

egg n (genitive singular egs, plural egg)

  1. egg
Declension
n23 Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative egg eggið egg eggini
Accusative egg eggið egg eggini
Dative eggi egginum egg(j)um egg(j)unum
Genitive egs egsins eggja eggjanna
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From the Old Norse egg, from Proto-Germanic *agjō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp, pointed”).

Noun

egg f (genitive singular eggjar, plural eggjar)

  1. blade, edge
  2. border, edge of a cliff
Declension
f8 Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative egg eggin eggjar eggjarnar
Accusative egg eggina eggjar eggjarnar
Dative egg eggini eggjum eggjunum
Genitive eggjar eggjarinnar eggja eggjanna

German

Verb

egg

  1. Imperative singular of eggen.
  2. (colloquial)  First-person singular present of eggen.

Icelandic

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɛkː/
  • Rhymes: -ɛkː

Etymology 1

From Old Norse egg, from Proto-Germanic *ajją, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm. Cognate with Old English ǣġ (obsolete English ey); Swedish ägg; Old High German ei (German Ei).

Noun

egg n (genitive singular eggs, nominative plural egg)

  1. (zoology) an egg
  2. an oval shaped object
  3. the ovum
Declension
Synonyms
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Old Norse egg, from Proto-Germanic *agjō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp, pointed”).

Cognates include Old Frisian egg, Old Saxon eggia, Dutch egge; Old English ecg (English edge); Old High German egga (German Ecke); Swedish egg.

The Indo-European root is also the source of Latin aciēs (“edge, sharpness”), Ancient Greek ἀκίς (akís, “point”).

Noun

egg f (genitive singular eggjar, nominative plural eggjar)

  1. (weaponry) the sharp edge of a knife, sword, or similar
  2. a sharp edge on a mountain
Declension
Synonyms
  • (sharp edge): blað
  • (mountain): fjallsegg
Derived terms
  • fjallsegg
  • með oddi og egg/með oddi og eggju

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse egg, from Proto-Germanic *ajją, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm.

Noun

egg n (definite singular egget, indefinite plural egg, definite plural egga or eggene)

  1. an egg
    et kokt egg ― a boiled egg

Derived terms

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɛɡː/

Etymology 1

From Old Norse egg, from Proto-Germanic *ajją, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm. Akin to English egg.

Noun

egg n (definite singular egget, indefinite plural egg, definite plural egga)

  1. an egg

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Old Norse egg. Akin to English edge.

Noun

egg f, m (definite singular egga or eggen, indefinite plural egger or eggar, definite plural eggene or eggane)

  1. an edge (the thin cutting side of the blade of an instrument, such as an ax, knife, sword, or scythe)

References

Old Norse

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *ajją, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm.

Noun

egg n (genitive eggs, plural egg)

  1. egg
Descendants

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *agjō

Noun

egg f (genitive eggjar, plural eggjar)

  1. edge (of a blade)
Descendants

References

  • Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic‎, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse egg, from Proto-Germanic *agjō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp, pointed”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɛɡː/
  • Homophone: ägg

Noun

egg c

  1. The sharp edge of a cutting tool.

Declension

Declension of egg 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative egg eggen eggar eggarna
Genitive eggs eggens eggars eggarnas

References

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