Etymologically
Log in

hug

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 14:32. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /hʌɡ/[1]

Etymology

It is of uncertain origin,[2][3] perhaps from a Scandinavian source, compare Old Norse hugga (“to comfort, soothe”),[4][2][5][6] from hugr, mind, mood, related to Old English hycgan, to think, and Gothic hugs, mind.[4][5] Others have noted a likeness to German hegen, to foster, cherish.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

To clasp tightly in the arms: 1567, in Drant's translation of Horace's Art of Poetry.[2][7]

Semantic evolution

To delight in bondage, hug one's chains, is from 1588,[7] and to lie close or cuddle from 1595.[7] To court favour is from 1622, and to congratulate oneself from 1622.[7] To cling fervently to an opinion is from 1649.[7] The noun was first a hold in wrestling (1617),[2][4] and an affectionate embrace from 1659 (the 1650s).[2][4] To keep close to a shore or kerb is a later sense.[8][9]

Timeline

  • 1567 – to embrace.[2]
  • 1588 – hug one's chains.[7]
  • 1617 – a wrestling hold.[2]
  • 1649 – to cling to a belief.[7]
  • 1659 – an affectionate embrace.[2]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To hold someone closely in the arms; to embrace.
  2. To cling to a belief or idea; to cherish.
  3. To keep close to: to hug the shore.

Noun

  1. A close, affectionate embrace.
  2. A crushing hold, as in wrestling.

Word family

  • huggable
  • hugger
  • huggingly
  • unhugged
  • hug-me-tight
  • bear hug
  • bunny hug

Usage notes

Dialect words recorded by the EDD include Shetland hug, a young sheep, and Somerset hug, the itch.[10]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  10. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)