Nag:
The word was first printed in 1336 in a
novel.
“1336–7 in C. M. Woolgar Househ. Accts. Medieval Eng. (1992) I. 182 Item in i ferro anteriore pro le nagg et i remocione pro
morel ii d.”
The word was created in early modern English and was
referring to a horse so not gender specific. It then turned into being used for
slang as a penis and then a prostitute.
Was first used as a verb before a noun in 1728. An example “Nag, to gnaw at anything hard.”
The spelling of the word has changed; used to have variations of “nagg” “nage” “nyag” “naig” or “nagge” .
The dictionary definition is: “1. A small
riding-horse or pony; (colloq.) a horse,
now esp. an old or feeble one. Occas. also fig.”The spelling of the word has changed; used to have variations of “nagg” “nage” “nyag” “naig” or “nagge” .
This doesn’t match my definition, I would define nag as being “to complain”.
The word has gone through pejoration because is now a negative thing to
be told you’re nagging. It has also narrowed because is no longer used for so
many purposes.
Bird:
The word was first used in a800: “a800
Corpus Gl. (O.E. Texts) 1687 Pullus, brid.”
a.orig. The general name for the
young of the feathered tribes; a young bird; a chicken, eaglet, etc.; a
nestling. The only sense in Old English; found in literature down to 1600;
still retained in north. dial. as ‘a hen and her birds’.
The use then broadened and was used to describe the young of
other animals before then describing a young man or son. This suggests the word
was then male specific contrasting todays use being gender specific to females.
In a1400 it broadened to referring to females also as a maiden.
The definition does match mine.
The definition does match mine.
