pig
Meaning
An animal with a fat body, short legs, a curly tail, and a flat nose, kept on farms for its meat
The meat from this animal
Usage
The farmer raised several pigs in the pen.
We're having roast pig for the celebration.
She accused him of eating like a pig.
Etymology
The word 'pig' originates from the Old English 'picg' or 'picga', which referred specifically to a young swine. Its ultimate origin is uncertain but is likely of Germanic origin, possibly imitative in nature. The term broadened in Middle English to refer to the animal at any age. The semantic journey is direct, maintaining its core reference to the domesticated swine from its earliest recorded use to the present day.
Analysis
This is a simplex word of Old English origin. It functions as a single, unanalyzable root morpheme in modern English.