slug

slug · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*sliǵ-ōn
2. Middle English · inherited fromslugge“lazy person", also "sloth, slothfulness”
3. English todayslug

Originally referred to a slow, lazy person, from Middle English slugge (“lazy person", also "sloth, slothfulness”), probably of either Old English or Old Norse origin; perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sliǵ-ōn, from *sley- (“smooth; slick; sticky; slimy”) or otherwise from the root of Old Norse slókr (“lazy person, oaf”), whence Icelandic slókur (“laziness”). Compare Norn slug (“lazy, slothful, sluggish”), dialectal Norwegian slugg (“a large, heavy body”), sluggje (“heavy, slow person”), Danish slog (“rascal, rogue”). Compare also Dutch slak (“snail, slug”). Doublet of slotch. The sense of a hitchhiking commuter is from the sense of a counterfeit bus token. Bus operators considered sluggers to be cheating as if they were using counterfeit tokens.

slug · noun, verb²

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*slagiz“a blow, strike”
2. English todayslug

Uncertain. Perhaps somehow from Proto-Germanic *slagiz (“a blow, strike”). If so, then cognate with slay and slaughter; also German Schlag (“blow, hit”) and Dutch slag (“blow, strike”). Also compare slog.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from early 18ᵗʰ c. Any of many gastropod mollusks, having no (or only a rudimentary) shell.
• from early 15ᵗʰ c. A slow, lazy person; a sluggard.
• from 1620s A bullet or other projectile fired from a firearm; in modern usage, generally refers to a shotgun slug.
• from 1880s A counterfeit coin, especially one used to steal from vending machines.
• from 1750s A shot of a drink, usually alcoholic.
• from 1920s A title, name or header, a catchline, a short phrase or title to indicate the content of a newspaper or magazine story for editing use.
• from 1830s A hard blow, usually with the fist.