keg
noun
- receptacle for beer
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /kɛɡ/ / /kæɡ/ / /keɪɡ/
noun
Etymology: From Middle English kag, from Old Norse kaggi (“keg”), likely a diminutive of Proto-Germanic *kagô (“bush, branch, stalk, stump”). Cognate with Icelandic kaggi (“keg; cask”), Norwegian kagg (“keg”), Swedish kagge (“keg”), Low German kag (“vessel; craft”), Dutch kaag (“vessel; craft”). Compare also English cag and chag. The modern form keg with /ɛ/ is due to a dialectal raising of /a///æ/ to /ɛ/ before velars (cf. fleg); the expected form is preserved in dialectal /kæɡ/, while /keɪɡ/ reflects further raising that occurred in some dialects.
- A round, traditionally wooden container of lesser capacity than a barrel, often used to store beer.
“He bore on his shoulder a stout keg, that seemed full of liquor, and made signs for Rip to approach and assist him with his load.”
verb
Etymology: From Middle English kag, from Old Norse kaggi (“keg”), likely a diminutive of Proto-Germanic *kagô (“bush, branch, stalk, stump”). Cognate with Icelandic kaggi (“keg; cask”), Norwegian kagg (“keg”), Swedish kagge (“keg”), Low German kag (“vessel; craft”), Dutch kaag (“vessel; craft”). Compare also English cag and chag. The modern form keg with /ɛ/ is due to a dialectal raising of /a///æ/ to /ɛ/ before velars (cf. fleg); the expected form is preserved in dialectal /kæɡ/, while /keɪɡ/ reflects further raising that occurred in some dialects.
- To store in a keg.
“He gestured toward the empty chair and the other officers began passing him their kegged beef and ship's biscuit.”
“Many of us get impatient with the tedium of bottling after a year or two and start thinking about kegging our beers instead.”
- The pulling down of someone's trousers or kegs, oftentimes as a kind of bullying or prank.