Egg Definition

ĕg
egged, egging, eggs
noun
eggs
The oval or round body laid by a female bird, fish, reptile, insect, etc., containing a supply of nutrients, a protective membrane, and, when fertilized, the embryo of a new individual: many kinds of eggs have a thin, brittle shell as an outer covering.
Webster's New World
A reproductive cell produced by a female animal or plant; ovum.
Webster's New World
The egg of a domestic fowl; specif., the liquid contents of a hen's egg, as used in cooking.
Webster's New World
A thing resembling a hen's egg.
Webster's New World
A person.
He's a good egg.
Webster's New World
verb
egged, egging, eggs
To mix or cover with the yolk or white of eggs, as in cooking.
Webster's New World
To throw eggs at.
Webster's New World
To urge or incite.
Webster's New World
To distort a circular cross-section (as in a tube) to an elliptical or oval shape, either inadvertently or intentionally.
After I cut the tubing, I found that I had slightly egged it in the vise.
Wiktionary

(obsolete except in egg on) To encourage, incite.

Wiktionary
idiom
egg on (one's) face
  • Embarrassment; humiliation:

    If you do that, you'll end up with egg on your face.

American Heritage
lay an egg
  • To fail, especially in a public performance.
American Heritage
put
  • To risk everything on a single venture.
American Heritage
egg on one's face
  • embarrassment due to an obvious blunder
Webster's New World
lay an egg
  • to fail completely
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Egg

Noun

Singular:
egg
Plural:
eggs

Origin of Egg

  • From Middle English egge, from Old Norse egg (“egg”), from Proto-Germanic *ajją (“egg”), by Holtzmann's Law from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm (“egg”). Cognate with Icelandic egg (“egg”), Norwegian egg (“egg”), Swedish ägg (“egg”), Danish æg (“egg”). The native English ey (pl. eyren), akin to Dutch ei (pl. eieren) and German Ei (pl. Eier) survived into the 16th century before being fully replaced by egg. More at ey.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English egge bird's egg from Old Norse egg awi- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Middle English eggen from Old Norse eggja ak- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Old Norse eggja (“to edge”).

    From Wiktionary

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