• (RP, America) enPR: pŭg, IPA: /pʌɡ/

pug (plural pugs)

1. Senses relating to someone or something small.
   1. In full pug dog: a small dog of an ancient breed originating in China, having a snub nose, wrinkled face, squarish body, short smooth hair, and curled tail. [from 18th c.]

      Synonyms: Chinese pug, Dutch bulldog, Dutch mastiff, mini mastiff, mops, carlin, pugdog

      • 1740 (first performance), David Garrick, Lethe. A Dramatic Satire. […], Dublin: […] S. Powell, [f]or G. and A. Ewing, G. Faulkner, J. Hoey, J. Exshaw, J. Exdall, and R. James, […], published 1749, →OCLC ↗, page 21 ↗:

        She […] tells Fibs, makes Miſchief, buys China, cheats at Cards, keeps a Pug-dog, and hates the Parſons; […]

      • 1915, Virginia Woolf, chapter II, in The Voyage Out, London: Duckworth & Co., […], →OCLC ↗, page 26 ↗:

        Meanwhile she arranged her ornaments in the room which she had won too easily. They were strange ornaments to bring on a sea-voyage—china pugs, tea-sets in miniature, […]

   2. In full pug moth, often with a descriptive word: any geometrid moth of the tribe Eupitheciini, especially the genus Eupithecia; a geometer moth.
   3. (clothing, historical) In full pug hood: a hood, sometimes with a short cloak attached, worn by women around the middle of the 18th century.
   4. (rail transport) In full pug engine: a small locomotive chiefly used for shunting.
   5. (UK, regional, archaic) Also used as a proper name: any of various animals, such as a ferret, hare, squirrel, or young salmon.
      • 1685 July (first performance), N[ahum] Tate, Cuckolds-Haven: Or, An Alderman No Conjurer. A Farce. […], London: […] J. H. and are to be sold by Edward Poole, […], published 1685, →OCLC ↗, Act I, scene ii, page 5 ↗:

        Dear, delicate Madam, I am your little Paraquit, your Sparrovv, your Shock, your Pugg, your Squirrel.

      1. (specifically) Synonym of teg
      2. (specifically, obsolete) An ape, a monkey; also (by extension) a human child.
         • 1712 October 13 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison], “THURSDAY, October 2, 1712”, in The Spectator, number 499; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume V, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC ↗, page 454 ↗:

           […] I heard her call him dear pug, and found him to be her favourite monkey.

           The spelling has been modernized.

         • 1733, Alexander Pope, The First Satire of the Second Book of Horace, […], London [actually Edinburgh]: […] L[awton] G[illiver] and sold by A. Dodd […], E[lizabeth] Nutt […], →OCLC ↗, page 13 ↗:

           Its proper Povver to hurt, each Creature feels, / Bulls aim their Horns, and Aſſes lift their Heels, / 'Tis a Bear's Talent not to kick, but hug, / And no Man vvonders he's not ſtung by Pug: […]

         • 1753 (indicated as 1754), [Samuel Richardson], “Letter XLIII. Lady G. to Lady Grandison.”, in The History of Sir Charles Grandison. […], 2nd edition, volume VI, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by C. Hitch and L. Hawes, […], →OCLC ↗, page 211 ↗:

           Take avvay the pug, ſaid I, to the attendants—Take it avvay vvhile any of it is left—They reſcued the ſtill ſmiling babe, and run avvay vvith it.

         • 1812, Peter Pindar [pseudonym; John Wolcot], “Tristia; or, The Sorrows of Peter: […]. Elegy.”, in The Works of Peter Pindar, Esq. […], new edition, volume V, London: […] J[ohn] Walker, G. Wilkie and J. Robinson, G. Robinson, […]; and G. Goulding and Co. […], →OCLC ↗, page 297 ↗:

           Or, is the Monkey sick, he takes his bed; / Old Slop is sent for, to prescribe for Pug.— […]

      3. (specifically, obsolete) A fox.
         • 1812, [Maria] Edgeworth, “The Absentee. Chapter VIII.”, in Tales of Fashionable Life (2nd series), volume VI, London: […] [Heney] for J[oseph] Johnson and Co., […], →OCLC ↗, pages 93–94 ↗:

           [T]here is a dead silence, till pug is well out of cover, and the whole pack well in: then cheer the hounds with tally ho! till your lungs crack. Away he goes in gallant style, and the whole field is hard up, till pug takes a stiff country: […]

         • 1848, [Charles Kingsley], “The Philosophy of Fox-hunting”, in Yeast: A Problem. […], London: John W[illiam] Parker, […], published 1851, →OCLC ↗, page 16 ↗:

           That spell was broken by the sight of poor wearied pug, his once gracefully-floating brush all draggled and drooping, as he toiled up the sheep-paths toward the open down above.

   6. (UK, regional, rare) A person or thing that is squat.
   7. (US, regional) A bun or knot of hair; also, a piece of cloth or snood for holding this in place.
   8. (obsolete) A small demon; an imp, a puck, a sprite.

      Synonyms: goblin, hobgoblin

      • 1616 October or November (first performance), Ben Jonson, “The Persons of the Play”, in The Diuell is an Asse: A Comedie […], London: […] I. B. for Robert Allot, […], published 1631, →OCLC ↗, page 93 ↗:

        Satan. The great diuell. / Pvg. The leſſe diuell.

        Used as the name of a character in the play.

      • 1635, Tho[mas] Heywood, “The Ninth Tractat: The Angell”, in The Hierarchie of the Blessed Angells. […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC ↗, page 574 ↗:

        In Iohn Mileſius any man may reade / Of Diuels in Sarmatia honored, / Call'd Kottri, or Kibaldi; ſuch as vvee / Pugs and Hob-goblins call.

      • 1677 (indicated as 1678), [Samuel Butler], “Canto I”, in Hudibras. The Third and Last Part. […], London: […] Simon Miller, […], →OCLC ↗, page 82 ↗:

        This is your Buſineſs Good Pug Robin, / And your Diverſion, dull Dry Bobbing: / T' intice Fanaticks in the Dirt, / And vvaſh 'em clean in Ditches for't.

2. Senses relating to people.
   1. (UK, historical) Chiefly used by servants: A senior or upper servant in a household. [from 19th c.]
   2. (obsolete)
      1. A mistress, or a female prostitute; also (generally, derogatory) a woman. [c. 17th c.]

         Synonyms: Thesaurus:prostitute, Thesaurus:woman

         • 1604 (first performance), Tho[mas] Dekker, Iohn Webster [i.e., John Webster], West-ward Hoe. […], London: […] [William Jaggard], and to be sold by Iohn Hodgets […], published 1607, →OCLC ↗, Act II, signature D, recto ↗:

           So euery lip has his Lettice to himſelfe: […] the VVeſterne-man his Pug, the Seruing-man his Punke, […]

         • 1653, Francis Rabelais [i.e., François Rabelais], translated by [Thomas Urquhart] and [Peter Anthony Motteux], “How Gargantua was Carried Eleven Moneths in His Mothers Belly”, in The Works of Francis Rabelais, Doctor in Physick: Containing Five Books of the Lives, Heroick Deeds, and Sayings of Gargantua, and His Sonne Pantagruel. […], London: […] [Thomas Ratcliffe and Edward Mottershead] for Richard Baddeley, […], →OCLC ↗; republished in volume I, London: […] Navarre Society […], [1948], →OCLC ↗, book the first, page 17 ↗:

           In the vigor of his age he married Gargamelle, daughter to the King of the Parpaillons, a jolly pug, and well mouthed wench.

         • 1682, Thomas Otway, Venice Preserv'd, or, A Plot Discover'd. A Tragedy. […], London: […] Jos[eph] Hindmarsh […], →OCLC ↗, Act III, scene [i], page 25 ↗:

           [C]ome, let's to bed—you Fubbs, you Pugg you—you little Puſs—Purree Tuzzey—I am a Senator.

      2. (endearing) A term of endearment for a person, or sometimes an animal or a toy such as a doll.
         • 1600 or 1601 (date written), I. M. [i.e., John Marston], Antonios Reuenge. The Second Part. […], London: […] [Richard Bradock] for Thomas Fisher, and are to be soulde [by Matthew Lownes] […], published 1602, →OCLC ↗, Act III, scene iv, signatures F3, verso – F3, recto ↗:

           I haue had foure huſbands my ſelfe. The firſt I called, Svveete Duck, the ſecond, Deare Heart; the third, Prettie Pugge: But the fourth, moſt ſvveete, deare, prettie, all in all: he vvas the verie cockeall of a huſband.

         • 1604 (date written), Tho[mas] Dekker, [Thomas Middleton], The Honest Whore. […] (4th quarto), London: […] Nicholas Okes for Robert Basse, […], published 1616, →OCLC ↗, Act I, signature [C4], recto ↗:

           She ſings. / VVell met, pug, the pearle of beauty: vmh, vmh. / Hovv novv ſir knave, you forget your dutie, vmh, vmh.

         • 1611, Randle Cotgrave, compiler, “Marmouselle”, in A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues, London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC ↗, signature [Eee vi], verso ↗, column 1:

           Marmouſelle: f. A little puppie, or pug to play vvith.

      3. (nautical) A bargeman. [16th c.]

         Synonyms: bargee

         • 1603, [Thomas Dekker], The Wonderfull Yeare. […], London: […] by [J. Browne, Nicholas Ling, and John Smethwick for?] Thomas Creede, […], →OCLC ↗, [https://archive.org/details/https://archive.org/details/bim_early-english-books-1475-1640_the-wonderfull-yeare_dekker-thomas_1603/page/n45/mode/1up signature F3, verso]:

           [E]uen the Weſterne Pugs receiuing mony here, haue tyed it in a bag at the end of their barge, and ſo trailed it through the Thames, leaſt pleague ſores ſticking vpon ſhillings, […]

           A western pug was a bargeman who travelled along the Thames to London.

      4. (nautical) A cabin boy, a shipboy or ship's boy.

• French: carlin
• German: Mops, Mopshund
• Italian: carlino
• Russian: мопс
• Spanish: doguillo, carlino

pug (plural pugs)

1. (online gaming) Alternative case form of PuG

The noun is borrowed from Hindi पग, from inc-ohi पगु, from Sanskrit पद्ग, from पद् (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ped-) + ग (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷem-).

The verb is derived from the noun.

pug (plural pugs)

1. (originally, British India) The footprint or pawprint of an animal; a pugmark.
   • 1889, R[obert] S[tephenson] S[myth] Baden-Powell, “Rearing Pig”, in Pigsticking or Hoghunting. […], London: Harrison & Sons, […], →OCLC ↗, § 27, page 55 ↗:

     The goat has a square pug with blunt points to his toes, which are always held apart. The sheep's pug is more like that of the boar, being longer than the goat's. […] The boar's pug is distinguished from that of the sow by being much wider in the heel, and having the toes more open, and the rudimentary toes marking the ground more widely apart.

pug (pugs, present participle pugging; simple past and past participle pugged)

1. (transitive, British India, obsolete, rare) To track (an animal) by following pawprints; also (by extension) to track (a person) by following footprints.
   • 1889, R[obert] S[tephenson] S[myth] Baden-Powell, “Rearing Pig”, in Pigsticking or Hoghunting. […], London: Harrison & Sons, […], →OCLC ↗, § 27, page 57 ↗:

     Wishing to track a good boar that had got away through some thick cover, we called up the headman of the beat (a man lent to us by a friend) and asked him if he could pug. He was a havildar (sergeant) of police. He replied, 'That is my regular business, sahib; of course I can pug. My work is pugging criminals.'

pug (plural pugs)

1. (informal) Clipping of pugilist [from mid 19th c.]
   • 1924 July, John Buchan, “Sir Archibald Roylance Puts His Foot in It”, in The Three Hostages, London: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC ↗, page 212 ↗:

     Anyhow I found myself facin' the pug, seein' bright red, and inclined to fight a dozen. I didn't last for more than one round—my game leg cramped me, I suppose. I got one or two on his ugly face, and then I suppose I took a knock-out.

The origin of the verb is uncertain; it is possibly:

• related to southern Dutch puggen, German pucken, possibly ultimately imitative; or
• related to poke.

  It is also uncertain whether the various senses are derived from the same source.

  The origin of the noun is also uncertain; it is probably related to the verb.

pug (pugs, present participle pugging; simple past and past participle pugged)

1. (transitive)
   1. (rare) To hit or punch (someone or something); also, to poke (someone or something).
   2. (construction) To fill or stop up (a space) with pug (noun ), clay, sawdust, or other material by tamping; (specifically) to fill in (the space between joists of a floor, a partition, etc.) with some material to deaden sound, make fireproof, etc.
      • 1812, Peter Pindar [pseudonym; John Wolcot], “Lord Auckland’s Triumph; or, The Death of Crim. Con. A Pair of Prophetic Odes.. Elegy to a Friend.”, in The Works of Peter Pindar, Esq. […], new edition, volume IV, London: […] J[ohn] Walker, G. Wilkie and J. Robinson, G. Robinson, […]; and G. Goulding and Co. […], →OCLC ↗, page 312 ↗:

        Forbid it Venus! From the venal Fair / Snatch every charm, to Hay convert her Locks; / Pug up her nose, and pug-like make her stare; / And pit her pimpled visage with small-pox.

   3. (construction, pottery) To mix and work (wet clay) until flexible, soft, and free from air pockets and suitable for making bricks, pottery, etc.

      to pug clay ready for shaping

   4. (chiefly, Australia, New Zealand, archaic) Of cattle, etc.: to trample (the ground, a place, etc.) until it becomes muddy and soft; to poach.
   5. (England, regional, also, figurative, archaic) To pack or tamp (something) into a small space.
2. (intransitive, England, regional, also, figurative, archaic) To pack or tamp into a small space.

pug (chiefly, construction, pottery)

1. Clay, soil, or other material which has been mixed and worked until flexible, soft, and free from air pockets and thus suitable for making bricks, pottery, etc.; also, any other material with a similar consistency or function, especially (Australia) auriferous clay.
2. Short for pug mill (“kind of mill for grinding, mixing, and working clay”).

pug (pugs, present participle pugging; simple past and past participle pugged) (Scotland, Wales, Western England)

1. (transitive)
   1. To pull or tug (something).
   2. (obsolete) To spoil (something) by touching too much.
2. (intransitive) Followed by at: to pull or tug.

From Late Middle English pugge; further etymology unknown, possibly related to pug (see etymology 5).

pug (UK, regional, agriculture)

1. (Southwest England, archaic) The residue left after pressing apples for cider; pomace.
2. (obsolete) Often in the plural: the husks and other refuse removed from grain by winnowing; chaff.
   • 1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book XIX.] Garden Plants, Their Natures, Kinds, and Severall Histories.”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], 2nd tome, London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC ↗, page 17 ↗:

     Radiſh ſeed vvould vvillingly be ſovvne in a looſe or light ground, and natherleſſe moiſt enough: it cannot abide danke mucke, but contenteth it ſelfe vvith rotten chaffe or pugs, and ſuch like plaine mullock.

pug (plural pugs)

1. (online games) Acronym of pickup group group of players who are unknown to each other, grouped together to work toward a short-term goal, such as completing a dungeon or a raid

pug (pugs, present participle pugging; simple past and past participle pugged)

1. (transitive, online games) To participate in structured content of an online game as part of a pickup group.