fig
- the hollow, pear-shaped false fruit (syconium) of the fig tree, with sweet, pulpy flesh containing numerous tiny, seedlike true fruits (achenes)
- any of a genus (Ficus) of fig-bearing trees of the mulberry family, esp. any of the many cultivated varieties of a tree (F. carica) bearing edible figs
- a trifling amount; little bit: not worth a fig
- a gesture of contempt or disdain made as by placing the thumb between the first two fingers or under the upper teeth
Origin of fig
Middle English fige from Old French from Vulgar Latin an unverified form fica, for Classical Latin ficus, fig tree, figtransitive verb
figged, fig′gingOrigin of fig
altered from obsolete feague, to whip, polish; confused with the contr. for figure, probably from the use of this contracted form in reference to plates in books of fashions- dress; appearance
- shape; condition
in full fig
- figurative
- figuratively
- figure(s)
fig
noun
- a. Any of various trees or shrubs of the genus Ficus, especially F. carica, native to the Mediterranean region and widely cultivated for its edible multiple fruit.b. The sweet, hollow, pear-shaped, multiple fruit of this plant, having many tiny seedlike fruits.
- a. Any of several plants bearing similar fruit.b. The fruit of such a plant.
- A trivial or contemptible amount: not worth a fig.
Origin of fig
Middle English from Old French figue from Old Provençal figa from Vulgar Latin fīca from Latin fīcus
fig1
common fig
Ficus carica
noun
- Dress; array: in full fig.
- Physical condition; shape: in fine fig.
Origin of fig
Perhaps from fig to trot out a horse in lively condition, dress up variant of feague to make a horse lively probably from Dutch vegen to brush from Middle Dutch vēghenfig.
abbreviation
- figurative
- figuratively
- figure
fig
(plural figs)
(third-person singular simple present figs, present participle figging, simple past and past participle figged)
- (obsolete) To insult with a fico, or contemptuous motion.
- (obsolete) To put into the head of, as something useless or contemptible.
From Middle English fige, fygge (also fyke, from Old English fīc, see fike), from Anglo-Norman figue, from Old Provençal figa, from Vulgar Latin fīca (“fig”), from Latin fīcus (“fig tree”), from a pre-Indo European language, perhaps Phoenician [script?] (pagh, “ripe fig”) (compare Classical Hebrew פַּגָּה (paggâ, “early fallen fig”), Classical Syriac ܦܓܐ (paggāʾ), dialectal Arabic - (faġġ), [script?] (fiġġ)) .
Another Semitic root (compare Akkadian [script?] (tīʾu, “fig”)) was borrowed into Ancient Greek as σῦκον (sỹkon) (Boeotian τῦκον (tỹkon)) and Armenian as թուզ (tʿuz); whence English sycophant.
(third-person singular simple present figs, present participle figging, simple past and past participle figged)
Variation of fike.
A fig (the fruit).
A fig (the fruit) in cross-section.