jag

jag · noun, verb¹

1. Middle English · derived fromdag
2. Old English · inherited fromgiagga
3. Middle English · inherited fromjagge
4. English todayjag

The noun is from late Middle English jagge, from Old English giagga, giacga. The ultimate origin could be sound-symbolic of sudden movement, compare with jam, rag and Middle English dag, of which jag may be a palatalised variant. The verb is from jaggen, from Old English giacgian.

jag · noun²

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*kagô
2. Old English · inherited fromċeacga“broom, furze”
3. English todayjag

Circa 1597; originally "load of broom or furze", variant of British English dialectal chag (“tree branch; branch of broom or furze”), from Old English ċeacga (“broom, furze”), from Proto-Germanic *kagô (compare dialectal German Kag (“stump, cabbage, stalk”), Swedish dialect kage (“stumps”), Norwegian dialect kage (“low bush”), of unknown origin.

Jag · noun³

Shortening of Jaguar.

Words from the same roots