From Middle English stagge, steg, 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").

• IPA: /stæɡ/

stag

1. (countable) An adult male deer, especially a red deer and especially one in high adulthood versus a young adult.

   Synonyms: buck, hart

   Coordinate term: knobber (sometimes hyponymous)

2. (countable, chiefly, Scotland) A young horse (colt or filly).
3. (Britain) A male turkey: a turkeycock.
4. (by extension, countable, obsolete) A romping girl; a tomboy.
5. (countable) An improperly or late castrated bull or ram – also called a bull seg (see note under ox).
6. (countable, finance) An outside irregular dealer in stocks, who is not a member of the exchange.
7. (countable, finance) 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.
8. (countable, usually attributive) An unmarried man; a bachelor; a man not accompanying a woman at a social event.

   a stag dance; a stag party; a stag bar

9. (countable) A social event for men held in honor of a groom on the eve of his wedding, attended by male friends of the groom; sometimes a fundraiser.

   Synonyms: bachelor party, stag do, stag party, stag lunch

   Coordinate terms: bachelorette party, hen party

   The stag will be held in the hotel's ballroom.

10. (countable, slang) An informer.
11. (uncountable, UK, military, slang) Guard duty.
    • 2000, Richard Tomlinson, The big breach: from top secret to maximum security, page 31:

      Between shifts on stag or manning the radio, we grabbed a few hours sleep.

12. (countable) 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.

13. (countable) The Eurasian wren, Troglodytes troglodytes.

• bull

• French: cerf
• German: Hirsch, Hirschbock, Rothirsch
• Italian: cervo
• Portuguese: veado adulto
• Russian: оле́нь
• Spanish: ciervo

• German: Fohlen
• Portuguese: potro, potra, potranca
• Spanish: potro, potra, potranca

• German: wilde Hummel

• French: bœuf
• Italian: bue

• German: Konzertzeichner

• German: Zaunkönig
• Portuguese: carriça

stag (stags, present participle stagging; simple past and past participle stagged)

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

   Synonyms: shadow

• Spanish: rastrear

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.