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, figOrigin 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 *f&imacron;ca, from Latin f&imacron;cus.
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 v&emacron;ghen.fig.
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.