hag

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   an insulting term for an old woman regarded as ugly, unpleasant, or frightening

   The tale cruelly portrayed the solitary old woman as a hag.

2. 2
   noun

   a witch or female demon in folklore

   In the legend, a hag haunted the marsh after nightfall.

Simplified etymology

Hag, used disparagingly in expressions such as old hag, literally means “an evil spirit in female form” or “a witch.” It may derive from Old English hægtesse or hegtes and is related to Dutch heks and German Hexe, “witch.”

From Middle English hagge, a shortening of Old English hægtesse ("witch, fury"). Cognates include Dutch heks and German Hexe ("witch"); English hex is a doublet from the same Germanic family. The word later became a derogatory label for an old woman.

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External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary