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peg

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peg¹

  • /ˈpɛɡ/
  • [ˈpʰɛɡ]
  • /ˈpeɪ̯ɡ/
  • [ˈpʰeɪ̯ɡ]

Sounds like Peg · Rhymes with -ɛɡ

Where it comes from

From Middle English pegge, from Middle Dutch pegge (“pin, peg”), from Old Dutch *pigg-, *pegg-, from Proto-Germanic *pig-, *pag- (“peg, stake”), from Proto-Indo-European *bak-, *baḱ- (“club, pointed stick, peg”). Cognate with Dutch dialectal peg (“pin”), Low German pig, pigge (“peg, stick with a point”), Low German pegel (“post, stake”), Swedish pigg (“tooth, spike”), Danish pig (“spike”), Norwegian Bokmål pigg (“spike”), Irish bac (“stick, crook”), Latin baculum (“staff”), Latvian bakstît (“to poke”), Ancient Greek βάκτρον (báktron, “staff, walking stick”). Related to beak.

This is one of the very few English words that begin with a p and come from Proto-Germanic. Proto-Germanic *p, when not in a consonant cluster beginning with *s, developed by Grimm's law from the Proto-Indo-European consonant *b, which was very rare.

(To indicate or ascribe an attribute to): Assumed to originate from the use of pegs or pins as markers on a bulletin board or a list.

noun pegs

  1. A cylindrical wooden or metal object used to fasten or as a bearing between objects.
  2. A protrusion used to hang things on. Hang your coat on the peg and come in.
  3. figuratively A support; a reason; a pretext. a peg to hang a claim upon
  4. A peg moved on a crib board to keep score.
  5. A fixed exchange rate, where a currency's value is matched to the value of another currency or measure such as gold. The following became obvious quite quickly – the cryptosphere needed a nonvolatile peg.
  6. UK A small quantity of a strong alcoholic beverage. This over, the club will be visited for a "peg," Anglice drink.

    Similar: shot

  7. A place formally allotted for fishing
  8. colloquial, dated A leg or foot. "Now I'm cleaned up for thee: tha's no 'casions ter stir a peg all day, but sit and read thy books."
  9. One of the pins of a musical instrument, on which the strings are strained. O, you are well tuned now! / But I'll set down the pegs that make this music, / As honest as I am.
  10. A step; a degree. to screw papal authority to the highest peg
  11. abbreviation, ellipsis Ellipsis of clothes peg
  12. A topic of interest, such as an ongoing event or an anniversary, around which various features can be developed. […] all news media keep a supply of features on hand, waiting for a peg to make them topical.
  13. slang A stump. Lindy hit the pegs with five deliveries out of six.
  14. slang The penetration during anal sex using a strap-on dildo. Get your strap-on out and give me a nice peg!
  15. archaic, slang A serving of brandy and soda. I then ordered a "peg" (brandy-and-soda) to be brought to my tent, and returned to have a smoke before turning in again.
  16. India A serving of any hard spirit, particularly whisky. This is the sort of drinking that Anna Hazare fought to eradicate from Ralegan Siddhi, as Colonel Phatak explained, after I joked about an army man needing his evening peg of whisky before dinner.
  17. UK, obsolete, slang A shilling. The price of a case (five shillings piece bad) from the smasher is about one shilling; an alderman (two and sixpence) about sixpence; a peg (shilling) about threepence; a downer or sprat (sixpence) about twopence.
  18. An easily recalled image that a person mentally visualizes with something else, in order to remember that other thing. See mnemonic peg system. To remember this list of early psychologists, you recall each peg along with its image of an early psychologist that you placed there.

verb pegs · pegging · pegged

  1. transitive To fasten using a peg. Let's peg the rug to the floor.
  2. transitive To affix or pin. I found a tack and pegged your picture to the bulletin board.
  3. transitive To fix a value or price. China's currency is no longer pegged to the American dollar.
  4. transitive To narrow the cuff openings of a pair of pants so that the legs take on a peg shape.
  5. slang, transitive To throw.

    Similar: fling, hurl, bung, cast, chuck, chunk, cook, dash, dump, feck, jerk, heave

  6. transitive To throw a ball at (someone), to hit (someone) with a ball.
  7. slang, transitive To indicate or ascribe an attribute to; to classify or pigeonhole someone. He's been pegged as a suspect.
  8. To move one's pegs to indicate points scored; to score with a peg. She pegged twelve points.
  9. slang, transitive To reach or exceed the maximum value on (a scale or gauge). We pegged the speedometer across the flats.
  10. slang, transitive To engage in anal sex by penetrating with a strap-on dildo. When you're pegging him and he gets close to orgasm, you'll observe a number of physical signs […]
  11. intransitive To keep working hard at something; to peg away. For more than the period of his splendid service in India, which the country was not slow to acknowledge, the Volunteers had kept pegging at it, despite all the official obstacles thrown in the way […]
  12. archaic, slang To drink alcohol frequently, especially brandy and soda; to tipple.
  13. UK, obsolete, slang, transitive To drive (a hackney carriage). I was pegging a hack when the horse started limping. I got down to see if he'd picked up a stone and he lashed out at me.

Peg²

  • /pɛɡ/

Sounds like peg · Rhymes with -ɛɡ

proper noun

  1. diminutive Diminutive of Margaret
  2. abbreviation, clipping Clipping of Peggy

Peg³

  • /pɛɡ/

Sounds like peg · Rhymes with -ɛɡ

Where it comes from

Shortening.

proper noun 'Peg

  1. Canada, abbreviation, clipping, slang Clipping of Winnipeg (city), usually preceded by "the". I just got back from the Peg.

PEG⁴

noun PEGs

  1. abbreviation, acronym, countable, uncountable Acronym of polyethylene glycol
  2. abbreviation, countable, obsolete, uncountable Abbreviation of pneumoencephalography
  3. abbreviation, countable, initialism Initialism of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy
  4. abbreviation, countable, initialism, uncountable Initialism of price/earnings to growth PEG ratio
  5. abbreviation, initialism, uncountable Initialism of public, educational, and government (access television).
  6. abbreviation, countable, initialism Initialism of parsing expression grammar This is a form of grammar called a Parsing Expression Grammar (PEG). PEGs use a different form of grammar which can handle most context-free situations and some context-sensitive ones.
  7. abbreviation, countable, uncountable Abbreviation of pyroelectric generator

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: nail down, peg down, pin, tholepin, nog, oarlock, rowlock, stick, leg, thole, nail, pegleg, wooden leg, dowel, rod, footboard

Translations

Every language

noun a cylindrical object

Españolclavija, tarugo
한국어말뚝 malttuk
日本語杭 kui
中文銷子 /销子 xiāozi, 楔子 xiēzi, 木釘 /木钉, 木樁 /木桩 mùzhuāng
Portuguêscavilha
Françaischeville
DeutschHolzdübel, Pflock, Stift, Haltestift, Stöpsel, Zapfen
Italianotassello, piolo
Русскийко́лышек kólyšek
العربيةوَتَد watad

noun a protrusion used to hang things on

Españolcolgador, perchero
한국어못 mot
日本語掛け釘 kakekugi, 釘 kugi, ペグ pegu
中文衣夾 /衣夹 yījiā, yījiá
Portuguêspregador
Françaisporte-manteau, patère
DeutschWäscheklammer, Haken, Pinorrek, Pinörkel, Kleiderhaken, Stift
Italianoattaccapanni
Русскийкрючо́к krjučók, ве́шалка véšalka

noun peg moved on a crib board to keep score (cribbage)

DeutschStift

noun a fixed exchange rate

DeutschKursstützung, Bindung, Währungsbindung

noun a small quantity of a strong alcoholic beverage

DeutschSchuss, Thema

noun pin on a musical instrument

Españolclavija
Portuguêscravelha
Françaischeville
DeutschWirbel, Stimmwirbel
Italianochiave, pirolo, bischero, cavicchio, caviglia
Русскийколо́к kolók

noun a step, a degree

DeutschStufe, Grad, Mass

noun clothes peg

Españolpinza, pinza de la ropa, broches, perro, palillo, gancho
한국어빨래집게 ppallaejipge
日本語洗濯挟み sentakubasami
中文衣夾 /衣夹 yījiā
Portuguêspregador, prendedor
DeutschWäscheklammer, Klammer
Italianomolletta, molletta da bucato
Русскийприще́пка priščépka

noun an event that triggers news coverage (journalism)

Españolgancho
Portuguêsgancho
DeutschAufmacher, Thema

verb to fasten using a peg

Portuguêscavilhar
Françaischeviller
Deutschklammern

verb to affix or pin

Françaisépingler
Deutschanklammern

verb to fix a price or value

Españolfijar
Françaisfixer

verb to throw

Françaislancer avec force
Deutschwerfen

verb to indicate or ascribe an attribute to

Españoltachar, motejar, tildar, catalogar, etiquetar, encasillar
Françaiscataloguer comme, mettre sur le dos
Deutschschätzen, einordnen

verb cribbage: to move one's pegs to indicate points scored

Deutschschätzen

verb slang: to penetrate in anal sex with a dildo

Françaischeviller

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Cite this
MLA

"peg." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/peg. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

peg. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/peg

Chicago

"peg." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/peg.

BibTeX
@misc{peg_2026,
  title = {peg},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/peg},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}