shag
UK[ʃæɡ]US[ʃæɡ]
n
A long, rough, or matted mass of hair or fiber.
n
A coarse type of tobacco cut into long strands.
n
A type of carpet with a long, rough pile.
n
A seabird with a dark back and a distinctive crest.
v
To make something tangled or matted.
v
(vulgar slang, chiefly British) To have sexual intercourse with.
Etymology
The word 'shag' originates from the Old English 'sceacga', meaning a matted mass or rough hair, likely related to the Old Norse 'skegg', meaning beard. This core sense of roughness or tuftedness is the semantic thread connecting its diverse modern meanings, from tangled hair and coarse tobacco to the long pile of a carpet and the shaggy crest of the bird named for its appearance. The development of the vulgar slang verb in the 18th century represents a separate, figurative extension, playing on notions of rough activity or motion, though its precise path from the original meaning is obscure.
Analysis
The word 'shag' is a simplex word of Old English origin. It is not productively composed of smaller, independent morphemes in modern English.
Examples
The dog's coat was a wet shag after playing in the rain.
He prefers the strong flavor of shag tobacco for his pipe.
The 1970s rec room was famous for its bright orange shag carpet.