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The original meaning seems to have been a common dog, as opposed to a well-bred one, or something like 'cur', and perhaps later came to be used for stocky dogs. Possibly a pet-form diminutive with suffix -ga (compare frocga(“frog”), *picga(“pig”)), appended to a base *dog-, *doc- of unclear origin and meaning. One possibility is Old Englishdox(“dark, swarthy”) (compare frocga from frox).[4] Another proposal is that it derives from Proto-West Germanic*dugan(“to be suitable”), the origin of Old Englishdugan(“to be good, worthy, useful”), Englishdow, Dutchdeugen, Germantaugen. The theory goes that it could have been an epithet for dogs, commonly used by children, meaning "good/useful animal".[5] Another is that it is related to *docce(“stock, muscle”), from Proto-West Germanic *dokkā(“round mass, ball, muscle, doll”), whence English dock(“stumpy tail”).
In 14th-century England, hound (from Old English hund) was the general word for all domestic canines, and dog referred to a subtype resembling the modern mastiff and bulldog.[6] By the 16th century, dog had become the general word, and hound had begun to refer only to breeds used for hunting.[7] In the 16th century, the word dog was adopted by several continental European languages as their word for mastiff.[8]
Despite similarities in forms and meaning, not related to Mbabaramdog.
The preposterous altruism too![…]Resist not evil. It is an insane immolation of self—as bad intrinsically as fakirs stabbing themselves or anchorites warping their spines in caves scarcely large enough for a fair-sized dog.
When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him.[…]. The captive made no resistance and came not only quietly but in a series of eager little rushes like a timid dog on a choke chain.
The dog barked all night long.
Any member of the family Canidae, including domestic dogs, wolves, coyotes, jackals, foxes, and their relatives (extant and extinct); canid.
1989, John L. Gittleman, Carnivore Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution, page 561:
This includes the development of hyena-like bone crushers (Osteoborus and Borophagus), a large bone-crushing hunting dog (Aelurodon), and another borophagine frugivorous dog (Carpocyon).
Entirely disregarding sex, Ch. Searchlight has a beautiful Cocker head, but as he is a dog, his head is too fine and far too much upon the bitchy order.
1928, Siegfried Sassoon, Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man, Penguin, published 2013, page 149:
Firstly, he was there to encourage and assist the hounds (a scratch pack – mostly dog-hounds drafted from fox-hound kennels because they were over-sized) […]
[A]t last Mahomed's stood straight up upon its vertebræ, and glared at me through its empty eyeholes, and cursed me with its grinning jaws, because I, a dog of a Christian, disturbed the last sleep of a true believer.
2005, “Stay Fly”, in Jordan Houston, Darnell Carlton, Paul Beauregard, Premro Smith, Marlon Goodwin, David Brown, Willie Hutchinson (lyrics), Most Known Unknown, performed by Three 6 Mafia (featuring Young Buck, 8 Ball, and MJG), Sony BMG:
DJ Paul is a dog; one you do not trust.
A mechanical device or support:
Any of various mechanical devices for holding, gripping, or fastening something, particularly with a tooth-like projection.
1994 July 21, Faye Fiore, “Congress relishes another franking privilege: Meat lobby puts on the dog with exclusive luncheon for lawmakers – experts on pork”, in Los Angeles Times:
Congressmen gleefully wolfed down every imaginable version of the hot dog – smoked kielbasas, jumbo grillers, Big & Juicy's, kosher dogs and spiced dogs[…]
1832, The Edinburgh Encyclopaedia, volume 10, page 164:
To this succeeded the Snaplance, in which a motion was given to the dog, or cock, and a movable plate of steel, called the frizel, or hammer, was placed vertically above the pan to receive the action of the flint.
(preceded by definite article) A dance having a brief vogue in the 1960s in which the actions of a dog were mimicked.
[…] they were discovered in a very improper manner by the husband of the gypsy, who, from jealousy it seems, had kept a watchful eye over his wife, and had dogged her to the place, where he found her in the arms of her gallant.
2012 January, Michael Riordan, “Tackling Infinity”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 30 April 2013, page 86:
Some of the most beautiful and thus appealing physical theories, including quantum electrodynamics and quantum gravity, have been dogged for decades by infinities that erupt when theorists try to prod their calculations into new domains. Getting rid of these nagging infinities has probably occupied far more effort than was spent in originating the theories.
2012 May 9, Jonathan Wilson, “Europa League: Radamel Falcao's Atlético Madrid rout Athletic Bilbao”, in the Guardian:
But this is not an Athletic that ever looks comfortable at the back – a criticism that has often dogged Marcelo Bielsa's sides.
2021 June 21, Daisuke Wakabayashi, “Google Executives See Cracks in Their Company’s Success”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
Yet Google, which was founded in 1998, is dogged by the perception that its best days are behind it.
1999 March 30, “Shakedown”, in JAG, season 4, episode 18, via CBS:
Harmon Rabb (David James Elliott): Are you dogging Harm's special meatless meatloaf? Sarah MacKenzie (Catherine Bell): Let's put it this way. If you were to make the Harmon Special on this ship, they'd have to unload it with the toxic waste.
1902, Winfield Scott Schley, Record of Proceedings of a Court of Inquiry:
A. We never stood 4 to 8 p.m. watches, sir. We dogged our watches. Q. I suppose that is 6 to 8 p.m., then; it is a little indistinct. I mean the second dog watch.
2015, Tom Vetter, 30,000 Leagues Undersea:
Meanwhile, we dogged the watch sections so that both halves of the crew could fetch full sea bags of uniforms and gear […]
^ Laurel Brinton, Alexander Bergs, Old English (2017, →ISBN), page 59: "In addition, the velar and palatal geminates could be written as <gg> or <cg>, as in <dogga> ~ <docga> ..."; Richard M. Hogg, Norman Francis Blake, The Cambridge History of the English Language (1992, →ISBN), volume 1, age 91 says much the same.
Terry Crowley (2004) Bislama Reference Grammar, Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi press, →ISBN, page 37
Chinese
Etymology 1
Derived from Englishdog, which is translation of 狗(gau2, “dog”), which is a homophone of 九(gau2, “nine”), which is a euphemism of 鳩/鸠(gau1, “fucking; stupid”).