pig
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pig¹
- /ˈpɪɡ/
- [ˈpʰɪɡ]
Rhymes with -ɪɡ
Where it comes from
From Middle English pigge (“pig, piglet”) (originally a term for a young pig, with adult pigs being swyn (“swine”)), from Old English *picga, *pycga (attested in picgbrēad (“mast, pig-fodder”)), perhaps a diminutive of Proto-West Germanic *puk, *pūk (“pig”), which also gave rise to Middle Low German pûke, puyke (“pig, piglet”). Pokorny suggests this root might be somehow related to *bū-, *bew- (“to blow; swell”), which could account for the alternation between "pig" and "big".
Compare Middle Dutch pogge, puggen, pigge, pegsken (> dialectal Dutch pogge (“piglet”)), Middle Low German pugge (> Westphalian German Low German Pogge, Pugge, Püggsken (“pig, piglet”)).
A connection to early modern Dutch bigge (modern Dutch big (“piglet”)), West Frisian bigge (“piglet”), German Low German Bigge, Bigg (“piglet”), and Saterland Frisian Bikkie (“piggy”) is sometimes proposed, "but the phonology is difficult". Some sources say the words are "almost certainly not" related, others consider a relation "probable, but not certain".
The slang sense of "police officer" is attested since at least 1785.
noun pigs
- Any of several mammalian species of the family Suidae, having cloven hooves, bristles and a snout adapted for digging; especially the domesticated animal Sus domesticus. The man kept a pen with two pigs that he fed everything from carrots to cabbage.
- A young swine, a piglet (contrasted with a hog, an adult swine). Weanlings grow into feeder pigs, and feeder pigs grow into slaughter hogs. […] Ultimately the end use for virtually all pigs and hogs is to be slaughtered for the production of pork and other products.
- The edible meat of such an animal; pork. Some religions prohibit their adherents from eating pig.
- A light pinkish-red colour, like that of a pig (also called piggy pink). So far on the streets there's been a lot of metallic pink (the kind of pink as in the shade of pig you get, and this is exactly the shade of the diary I've been writing in) […]
-
Someone who overeats or eats rapidly and noisily.
You gluttonous pig! Now that you've eaten all the cupcakes, there will be none for the party!
Similar: animal, belly-god, big back, buzgut, cormorant, dog, epicure, gannet, glutton, gorger, gourmand, gormandizer
- A lecherous or sexist man. She considered him a pig, as he invariably stared at her bosom when they talked.
- A dirty or slovenly person. He was a pig and his apartment a pigpen; take-away containers and pizza boxes in a long, moldy stream lined his counter tops.
-
An obese person.
Similar: All are derogatory unless otherwise labeled, butterball, chod, chodder, chubbs, chubster, chunker, chunky monkey, elephant, fat, fatfuck, fatso
- A greedy person. Capitalist pigs love exploiting the working classes for their own benefits.
-
A police officer.
The protester shouted, “Don't give in to the pigs!” as he was arrested.
Similar: 5-O, alphabet, barney, beatsman, bizzie, bluebottle, bluecoat, blue heeler, blue meanie, bobby, body snatcher, bogey
- A difficult problem. Hrm... this one's a real pig: I've been banging my head against the wall over it for hours!
- An oblong block of cast metal (now only iron or lead). The conveyor carried the pigs from the smelter to the freight cars.
- The mold in which a block of metal is cast. The pig was cracked, and molten metal was oozing from the side.
- A lead container used for radioactive waste. Taylor also bought a pig—a radiation-shielding container made of thick lead—to stash the most radioactive materials in.
- A device for cleaning or inspecting the inside of an oil or gas pipeline, or for separating different substances within the pipeline. Named for the pig-like squealing noise made by their progress. Unfortunately, the pig sent to clear the obstruction got lodged in a tight bend, adding to the problem.
- The general-purpose M60 machine gun, considered to be heavy and bulky. Unfortunately, the M60 is about twenty-four pounds and is very unbalanced. You try carrying the pig around the jungle and see how you feel.
- A simple dice game in which players roll the dice as many times as they like, either accumulating a greater score or losing previous points gained.
-
A sixpence.
Similar: sow's baby
- A Cadillac car.
- A Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
- The victim of a pig butchering scam.
Similar: grice, hog, oinker, pig, piggy, porker, squealer, swine
verb pigs · pigging · pigged
- To give birth. The black sow pigged at seven this morning.
- To greedily consume (especially food). They were pigging on the free food at the bar.
- To huddle or lie together like pigs, in one bed.
- To live together in a crowded filthy manner.
- To clean (a pipeline) using a pig (the device).
pig²
Where it comes from
Possibly a transferred use of pig, because the vessel was thought to resemble the animal.
PIG³
noun PIGs · P.I.G.
- Persuade, Identify, GOTV, an electoral technique commonly employed in the United Kingdom.
- Police in gear.
- Acronym of pipe inspection gauge
Pig⁴
proper noun
- The twelfth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.
pIg⁵
noun pIgs
- Abbreviation of polyclonal immunoglobulin
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: hog, farrow, bull, pig bed, cop, raven, fuzz, gulp, devour, guttle, copper, pig it, sloven, slob, slovenly person, sus scrofa
Translations
Every language
noun mammal of family Suidae
| Español | cerdo, chancho, chon, coche, cochi, cochín |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 돼지 dwaeji |
| 日本語 | 豚 buta, ブタ buta |
| 中文 | 豬 /猪 zhū, 豬玀 /猪猡 zhūluó, 豕 shǐ |
| हिन्दी | सूअर sūar |
| Kiswahili | nguruwe |
| Português | porco, suíno |
| Français | cochon, porc, pourceau |
| Deutsch | Schwein, Hausschwein, Sau, Docke, Wutz |
| Italiano | maiale, porco, suino |
| Ελληνικά | γουρούνι gouroúni |
| Română | porc |
| Русский | свинья́ svinʹjá, бо́ров bórov |
| Tiếng Việt | heo, lợn, cúi |
| العربية | خِنْزِير ḵinzīr, حَلُوف ḥalūf |
| עברית | חֲזִיר khazír |
noun nasty or disgusting person
| हिन्दी | सूअर sūar |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | nguruwe |
| Português | porco, nojento |
| Français | salaud, cochon, porc, pourceau |
| Deutsch | Schwein |
| Italiano | porco, maiale m bastardo, bastarda, stronzo, stronza |
| Ελληνικά | γουρούνι gouroúni |
| Română | porc |
| Русский | свинья́ svinʹjá |
noun mold for a cast metal block
| Kiswahili | nguruwe |
|---|
noun someone who overeats or eats rapidly
| Kiswahili | nguruwe |
|---|---|
| Português | porco |
| Français | cochon, porc |
| Deutsch | Fresssack, Fress-Sack, Schwein, Vielfraß |
| Italiano | porco, maiale |
| Ελληνικά | γουρούνι gouroúni |
| Română | porc |
noun dirty or slovenly person
| Kiswahili | nguruwe |
|---|---|
| Português | porco |
| Français | cochon, porc |
| Deutsch | Dreckschwein, Dreckspatz, Ferkel, Saubartel, Schmierfink, Schmutzfink |
| Italiano | porco, maiale |
| Ελληνικά | γουρούνι gouroúni, βρωμιάρης vromiáris |
| Română | porc |
| Русский | свинья́ svinʹjá, сви́нтус svíntus |
noun derogatory slang for police officer
| Español | tombo, milico, tira, chota, madero, picoleto |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | nguruwe |
| Português | porco |
| Français | poulet, flic, keuf |
| Deutsch | Bulle, Büttel, Greifer, Greiferin, Udel, Bullenschwein |
| Italiano | sbirro |
| Ελληνικά | γουρούνι gouroúni |
| Русский | му́сор músor |
noun difficult problem
| Kiswahili | nguruwe |
|---|
noun device to clean or inspect a pipe from inside
| Kiswahili | nguruwe |
|---|
Talk about this word "pig." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pig. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. pig. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pig "pig." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pig.Cite this
@misc{pig_2026,
title = {pig},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pig},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
