tug

Meaning

Verb

1. To pull or drag with great effort.
2. To pull hard repeatedly.
3. To tow by tugboat.
4. (slang) To masturbate.

Noun

1. A sudden powerful pull.
2. A tugboat.
3. (obsolete) A kind of vehicle used for conveying timber and heavy articles.
4. A trace, or drawing strap, of a harness.
5. A dog toy consisting of a rope, often with a knot in it.
6. An iron hook of a hoisting tub, to which a tackle is affixed.
7. (slang) An act of male masturbation.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/tʌɡ/

Etymology

From Middle English tuggen, toggen, from Old English togian (“to draw, drag”), from Proto-West Germanic *togōn, from Proto-Germanic *tugōną (“to draw, tear”), from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to pull”).
Cognate with Middle Low German togen (“to draw”), Middle High German zogen (“to pull, tear off”), Icelandic toga (“to pull, draw”). Related to tow.