Wiktionary

smug

See also: Smug and smug-

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Possibly from Middle Low German smuk (“lithe, delicate, neat, trim”) although the g of the English word is not easily explained. From the Low German derived also North Frisian smok, Danish smuk and Swedish smukk (now obsolete or dialectal). The ultimate source should be Proto-Germanic *smeuganą.

Compare Middle High German gesmuc (“ornament”) and smücken (“to dress, to adorn”), both ultimately from smiegen (“to press to, insert, wrap, to nestle”), hence German schmiegen, Schmuck and schmücken. The adjective schmuck, however, was borrowed from Low German. See smock for more.

Adjective

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smug (comparative smugger, superlative smuggest)

  1. Irritatingly pleased with oneself; offensively self-complacent, self-satisfied.
    Kate looked extremely smug this morning.
  2. Showing smugness; showing self-complacency, self-satisfaction.
    a smug look on her face
  3. (obsolete) Studiously neat or nice, especially in dress; spruce; affectedly precise; smooth and prim.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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Verb

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smug (third-person singular simple present smugs, present participle smugging, simple past and past participle smugged)

  1. (obsolete, transitive) To make smug, or spruce.
  2. (intransitive) to adopt an offensively self-complacent expression.
    • 1899 Ambrose Bierce: Fantastic Fables.
      Hearing a sound of strife, a Christian in the Orient asked his Dragoman the cause of it.
      "The Buddhists are cutting Mohammedan throats," the Dragoman replied, with oriental composure.
      "I did not know," remarked the Christian, with scientific interest, "that that would make so much noise."
      "The Mohammedans are cutting Buddhist throats, too," added the Dragoman.
      "It is astonishing," mused the Christian, "how violent and how general are religious animosities.
      Everywhere in the world the devotees of each local faith abhor the devotees of every other, and abstain
      from murder only so long as they dare not commit it. And the strangest thing about it is that
      all religions are erroneous and mischievous excepting mine. Mine, thank God, is true and benign."
      So saying he visibly smugged and went off to telegraph for a brigade of cutthroats to protect Christian interests.
  1. (obsolete, transitive, slang) To seize; to confiscate.
  2. (obsolete, transitive, slang) To hush up.

Further reading

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Etymology 2

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Noun

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smug (uncountable)

  1. (obsolete, Anglo-Chinese) The smuggling trade.
    • 1830, Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on the East India Company, Report ... China Trade (page 397)
      Have not they some term by which they distinguish the illicit trade? — They usually call it the Smug-pigeon.
    • 1838, Charles Toogood Downing, The Stranger in China, page 66:
      The smug-boats have been called centipedes by the Europeans, on account of the great number of oars, with which, like legs, they walk the water.

References

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  • John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary

Anagrams

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Danish

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Etymology

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From Danish smyge.

Noun

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smug

  1. in secret, hidden

Derived terms

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Irish

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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smug f (genitive singular smuige, nominative plural smuga)

  1. Ulster form of smuga (“mucus, snot”)

Declension

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Declension of smug (second declension)
bare forms
case singular plural
nominative smug smuga
vocative a smug a smuga
genitive smuige smug
dative smug
smuig (archaic, dialectal) 		smuga
forms with the definite article
case singular plural
nominative an smug na smuga
genitive na smuige na smug
dative leis an smug
leis an smuig (archaic, dialectal)
don smug
don smuig (archaic, dialectal) 		leis na smuga

References

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  1. ^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 25

Norwegian Bokmål

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From the verb smyge.

Noun

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smug n (definite singular smuget, indefinite plural smug, definite plural smuga or smugene)

  1. an alley or alleyway (usually for pedestrians)

References

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Polish

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

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smug m inan (diminutive smużek)

  1. narrow strip of meadow or, less commonly, of a field or forest
  2. any meadow, especially one that is marshy
  3. (archaic) Alternative form of smuga (“streak, trail, contrail”)
Declension
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Declension of smug
singular plural
nominative smug smugi
genitive smugu smugów
dative smugowi smugom
accusative smug smugi
instrumental smugiem smugami
locative smugu smugach
vocative smugu smugi

Etymology 2

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See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

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smug f

  1. genitive plural of smuga

Further reading

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  • smug in Polish dictionaries at PWN
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