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Webster 1913 Edition

Stag

Stag

(stăg)
,
Noun.
[Icel.
steggr
the male of several animals; or a doubtful AS.
stagga
. Cf.
Steg
.]
1.
(Zool.)
(a)
The adult male of the red deer (
Cervus elaphus
), a large European species closely related to the American elk, or wapiti.
(b)
The male of certain other species of large deer.
2.
A colt, or filly; also, a romping girl.
[Prov. Eng.]
3.
A castrated bull; – called also
bull stag
, and
bull seg
. See the Note under
Ox
.
4.
(Stock Exchange)
(a)
An outside irregular dealer in stocks, who is not a member of the exchange.
[Cant]
(b)
One who applies for the allotment of shares in new projects, with a view to sell immediately at a premium, and not to hold the stock.
[Cant]
5.
(Zool.)
The European wren.
[Prov. Eng.]
Stag beetle
(Zool.)
,
any one of numerous species of lamellicorn beetles belonging to
Lucanus
and allied genera, especially
Lucanus cervus
of Europe and
Lucanus dama
of the United States. The mandibles are large and branched, or forked, whence the name. The larva feeds on the rotten wood of dead trees. Called also
horned bug
, and
horse beetle
.
–
Stag dance
,
a dance by men only.
[Slang, U.S.]
–
Stag hog
(Zool.)
,
the babiroussa.
–
Stag-horn coral
(Zool.)
,
any one of several species of large branching corals of the genus
Madrepora
, which somewhat resemble the antlers of the stag, especially
Madrepora cervicornis
, and
Madrepora palmata
, of Florida and the West Indies.
–
Stag-horn fern
(Bot.)
,
an Australian and West African fern (
Platycerium alcicorne
) having the large fronds branched like a stag’s horns; also, any species of the same genus.
–
Stag-horn sumac
(Bot.)
,
a common American shrub (
Rhus typhina
) having densely velvety branchlets. See
Sumac
.
–
Stag party
,
a party consisting of men only.
[Slang, U. S.]
–
Stag tick
(Zool.)
,
a parasitic dipterous insect of the family
Hippoboscidae
, which lives upon the stag and is usually wingless. The same species lives also upon the European grouse, but in that case has wings.

Stag

,
Verb.
I.
(Com.)
To act as a “stag,” or irregular dealer in stocks.
[Cant]

Stag

,
Verb.
T.
To watch; to dog, or keep track of.
[Prov. Eng. or Slang]
H. Kingsley.

Webster 1828 Edition

Stag

STAG

,
Noun.
[This word belongs to the root of stick, stage, stock. The primary sense is to thrust, hence to fix, to stay, &c.]
1.
The male red deer; the male of the hind.
2.
A colt or filly; also, a romping girl. [Local.]
3.
In New England, the male of the common ox castrated.

Definition 2024

stag

stag

English

Alternative forms

  • steg (dialectal), staig (Scotland), stagg, stagge (obsolete)

Noun

stag ‎(plural stags)

A stag deer of species Cervus nippon. (2)
  1. An adult male deer.
  2. A colt, or filly.
  3. (by extension, obsolete) A romping girl.
  4. An improperly or late castrated bull or ram – also called a bull seg (see note under ox).
  5. An outside irregular dealer in stocks, who is not a member of the exchange.
  6. One who applies for the allotment of shares in new projects, with a view to sell immediately at a premium, and not to hold the stock.
  7. The Eurasian wren, Troglodytes troglodytes.
  8. (usually attributive) An unmarried male, a bachelor; a male not accompanying a female at a social event.
  9. A social event for males held in honor of a groom on the eve of his wedding, attended by male friends of the groom, sometimes a fund-raiser.
    The stag will be held in the hotel's ballroom
  10. A stag beetle (family Lucanidae).
    • 2007, Eric R. Eaton, ‎Kenn Kaufman, Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America (page 132)
      Members of the genus Pasimachus […] can be confused with stag beetles […] but stags have elbowed antennae.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

stag ‎(third-person singular simple present stags, present participle stagging, simple past and past participle stagged)

  1. (intransitive, Britain) To act as a "stag", an irregular dealer in stocks.
  2. (transitive) To watch; to dog, or keep track of.

Translations

Adverb

stag ‎(not comparable)

  1. Of a man, attending a formal social function without a date.
    My brother went stag to prom because he couldn't find a date.

Translations

See also

Anagrams

Swedish

Noun

stag ?

  1. (nautical) A stay.
  2. An appliance with a function similar to a nautical stay.

Etymology

From Middle English steg, stagge, from Old English stagga, stacga ‎(“a stag”) and Old Norse steggi, steggr ‎(“a male animal”), both from Proto-Germanic *staggijô, *staggijaz ‎(“male, male deer, porcupine”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *stegʰ-, *stengʰ- ‎(“to sting; rod, blade; sharp, stiff”). Cognate with Icelandic steggi, steggur ‎(“stag”) and Albanian shtagë ‎(“long stick, pole, schaft”). Related to staggard, staggon.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /stæɡ/
  • Rhymes: -æɡ

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