/ wæg; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb ( -gg- )
1.
[ v , vn ] if a dog wags its tail, or its tail wags , its tail moves from side to side several times
2.
[ vn ] to shake your finger or your head from side to side or up and down, often as a sign of disapproval
3.
[ vn ] ( AustralE , NZE ) to stay away from school without permission :
to wag school
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IDIOMS
see tail noun , tongue noun
■ noun
1.
( old-fashioned , especially BrE ) a person who enjoys making jokes
SYN joker
2.
a wagging movement
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WORD ORIGIN
verb and noun sense 2 Middle English (as a verb): from the Germanic base of Old English wagian to sway .
noun sense 1 mid 16th cent. (denoting a young man or mischievous boy, also used as a term of endearment to an infant): probably from obsolete waghalter person likely to be hanged (from the verb wag and halter ).