lag

Probably North Germanic origin. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /læɡ/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æɡ

lag

1. Late.
   • 1592, William Shakespeare, King Richard III:

     Some tardy cripple bore the countermand, / That came too lag to see him buried.

2. (obsolete) Last; long-delayed.
   • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:

     the lag end of my life

3. Last made; hence, made of refuse; inferior.
   • 1690, John Dryden, Don Sebastian, King of Portugal:

     We know your thoughts of us, that laymen are lag souls, and rubbish of remaining clay.

lag (countable and uncountable, plural lags)

1. (countable) A gap, a delay; an interval created by something not keeping up; a latency.
   • 1995, Donald R. DeGlopper, “Introduction”, in Lukang: Commerce and Community in a Chinese City‎, State University of New York Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 5:

     Although this work is now presented to the world at large, people who read through it before publication severally raised some issues that should be addressed. These resolve around the lag between the field research and the publication of the monograph, a period of rather more than two decades; the use or non-use of various academic forms of terminology, frames of reference, modes of analysis, or "theoretical paradigms"; and my use of the present tense to describe a place that is most certainly not that way now.

   • 2004 May 10, The New Yorker Online,:

     During the Second World War, for instance, the Washington Senators had a starting rotation that included four knuckleball pitchers. But, still, I think that some of that was just a generational lag.

2. (uncountable) Delay; latency.
   • 1999, Loyd Case, Building the ultimate game PC:

     Whatever the symptom, lag is a drag. But what causes it? One cause is delays in getting the data from your PC to the game server.

   • 2001, Patricia M. Wallace, The psychology of the Internet:

     When the lag is low, 2 or 3 seconds perhaps, Internet chatters seem reasonably content.

   • 2002, Marty Cortinas, Clifford Colby, The Macintosh bible:

     Latency, or lag, is an unavoidable part of Internet gaming.

3. (British, slang, archaic) One sentenced to transportation for a crime.
4. (British, slang) A prisoner, a criminal.
   • 1934, P. G. Wodehouse, Thank You, Jeeves:

     On both these occasions I had ended up behind the bars, and you might suppose that an old lag like myself would have been getting used to it by now.

   • 1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy:

     He sat with his great head tipped forward, scowling with a lag's sullenness, and I swear he had closed off his hearing with his thinking and hadn't heard us coming. 'Father,' said Pym.

5. (slang) A period of imprisonment.
   • 2017, Anna Leask, Behind Bars: Real-life stories from inside New Zealand's prisons:

     I wasn't scared any more; the second lag wasn't easy, but I wasn't really scared of anything. […] So in my later lags, when I walked into prison everyone had heard about me.

6. (snooker) A method of deciding which player is to start. Both players simultaneously strike a cue ball from the baulk line to hit the top cushion and rebound down the table; the player whose ball finishes closest to the baulk cushion wins.
7. One who lags; that which comes in last.
   • 1725, Homer, “Book IX”, in [William Broome], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume II, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC, page 226, line 526:

     the lag of all the flock

8. The fag-end; the rump; hence, the lowest class.
   • c. 1605–1608, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene vi], page 89, column 2:

     The reſt of your Fees, O Gods, the Senators of Athens, together with the common lagge of People, what is amiſſe in them, you Gods, make ſuteable for deſtruction.

9. A stave of a cask, drum, etc.; especially (engineering) one of the narrow boards or staves forming the covering of a cylindrical object, such as a boiler, or the cylinder of a carding machine or steam engine.
10. A bird, the greylag.

In casual use, lag and latency are used synonymously for "time delay between initiating an action and the effect", with lag being more casual. In formal use, latency is the technical term, while lag is used when latency is greater than usual, particularly in internet gaming. When used as a comparative to refer to the distance between moving objects lag refers to a moving object that has not yet reached the reference object position, whether linear or rotational. The term latency is not used in technical jargon for linear or rotational distance. The neutral term displacement can be used ambiguously and may refer to the distance between objects without indicating direction. In this use, lag, lags, and lagging are the complements of lead, leads, and leading. For example, For any AC power system, at all reactive loads, the current waveform has a phase displacement or power factor to the voltage. An inductive load has a lagging power factor, while a capacitive load has a leading PF.

• (delay): latency

• → Finnish: lagi
• → Swedish: lagg n

lag (third-person singular simple present lags, present participle lagging, simple past and past participle lagged)

1. To fail to keep up (the pace), to fall behind.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “(please specify the book), Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     Behind her farre away a Dwarfe did lag, / That lasie seemd in being ever last, / Or wearied with bearing of her bag / Of needments at his backe.

   • 1616, George Chapman, The Odysseys of Homer:

     Lazy beast! / Why last art thou now? Thou hast never used / To lag thus hindmost

   • 1717, The Metamorphoses of Ovid translated into English verse under the direction of Sir Samuel Garth by John Dryden, Alexander Pope, Joseph Addison, William Congreve and other eminent hands

     While he, whose tardy feet had lagg'd behind, / Was doom'd the sad reward of death to find.

   • 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner in seven parts:

     Brown skeletons of leaves that lag / My forest-brook along

   • 2004 April 5, The New Yorker,:

     Over the next fifty years, by most indicators dear to economists, the country remained the richest in the world. But by another set of numbers—longevity and income inequality—it began to lag behind Northern Europe and Japan.

2. To cover (for example, pipes) with felt strips or similar material (referring to a time lag effect in thermal transfer).
   • 1941 April, “British Locomotive Developments”, in Railway Magazine, page 173:

     Spun glass mattresses are used for lagging the boiler, which has three Ross pop safety valves on the front ring.

   • c. 1974, Philip Larkin, The Building:

     Outside seems old enough: / Red brick, lagged pipes, and someone walking by it / Out to the car park, free.

3. (computing, informal, video games) To respond slowly.

   My phone is starting to lag.

4. (UK, slang, archaic) To transport as a punishment for crime.
   • 1847, Thomas De Quincey, Secret Societies":

     She lags us if we poach.

5. (UK, slang, archaic) To arrest or apprehend.
   • 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:

     "We must get the old dear out," said Lord Roxton to Malone. "He'll be had for manslaughter if we don't. What I mean, he's not responsible - he'll sock someone and be lagged for it."

6. (transitive) To cause to lag; to slacken.
   • 1632, Thomas Heywood, The Iron Age:

     The weight would lagge thee that art wont to flye.

• → Swedish: lagga

• tardy

• Latency (engineering) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Building insulation on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Jet lag on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Turbo lag on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• AGL, ALG, Alg., GAL, GLA, Gal, Gal., LGA, gal, gal., μGal

From Dutch lachen.

• IPA^(key): /ɫɐχ/

• Audio

  (file)

lag (present lag, present participle laggende, past participle gelag)

1. to laugh

• glimlag

From Proto-Albanian *lauga, from Proto-Indo-European *lowg- (compare Old Norse laug (“hot spring, bath”), Latvian luga (“marshy deposit, silt”), Serbo-Croatian lȕža (“puddle, pool”)).

lag (aorist laga, participle lagur)

1. to wet, moisten
2. (colloquial) to water
3. (geography) to wash land (of a body of water)

• lagë
• lagësht
• lagështirë
• lëgatë
• lagaterë
• lug
• lagëtur

From Proto-Albanian *lag-, from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lay, lie (down)”). Cognate with Ancient Greek λόχος (lókhos, “ambush, ambuscade, armed band”), Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (lagjan, “to lay”). Singular form of lagje.

lag m

1. troop, band, encampment

• lagje
• log

From English lag.

lag

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, computing) to lag

lag

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, computing) laggy

• lag機／lag机

From Old Norse lag, from Proto-Germanic *lagą. Doublet of lav (“guild”) and lov (“law”).

• IPA^(key): /laːˀɣ/, [læˀj], [læˀ]
• Rhymes: -æː

lag n (singular definite laget, plural indefinite lag)

1. layer, coat (a coherent mass spread on the top or on the outside of something else)
2. (sociology) class, stratum (class of society with similar status)
3. (geology) stratum (layer of sedimentary rock)

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑx
• IPA^(key): /lɑx/
• Homophones: lach

lag

1. singular past indicative of liggen

• alg, gal

From Old Norse lag.

• IPA^(key): /lɛaː/
• Rhymes: -ɛaː
• Homophones: lað, læ, læð

lag n (genitive singular lags, plural løg)

1. layer
2. (in compounds) what belongs together (company, union)
3. regularity, order
4. skill, capability

   hann hevur gott lag á tí.

   he has good skills in that

5. method, system
6. importance

   tað liggur einki lag á.

   This is not important.

7. mood

   tað er einki lag á honum.

   He is in a bad mood.

8. design, shape
9. melody

• andalag
• arbeiðslag
• eyðkennislag
• ferðalag
• felag
• grundarlag
• havnarlag
• hjúnalag
• huglag
• í lagi
• jarðlag
• ljóðlag
• niðurlag
• parlag
• rakstrarlag
• sólarlag
• stiglag
• stjórnarlag
• tjóðlag
• undirlag
• veðurlag
• yrkingarlag
• ørindislag

• IPA^(key): /laːk/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aːk

lag

1. first/third-person singular preterite of liegen

lag

1. Romanization of 𐌻𐌰𐌲

From Old Norse lag.

• IPA^(key): /laːɣ/ (

  listen

  (file)

  )
• Rhymes: -aːɣ

lag n (genitive singular lags, nominative plural lög)

1. layer
2. (geology) stratum
3. tune, song
4. order
5. thrust, stab
6. good method, knack

From Old Irish lac, from Proto-Celtic *laggos, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)leh₁g-, compare English slack and Latin laxus (“slack”).

• (Munster, Aran) IPA^(key): /l̪ˠɑɡ/[1]
• (Connemara, Mayo) IPA^(key): /l̪ˠaɡ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /l̪ˠʌɡ/[2] (as if spelled log or lug)
• Homophones: log, lug (Ulster)

lag (genitive singular masculine laig, genitive singular feminine laige, plural laga, comparative laige)

1. weak

   Synonym: tláith

• laige

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “lag”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Borrowed from Sicilian lagu, from Latin lacus.

• IPA^(key): /laːk/

lag m (plural lagi)

1. lake

   Synonym: għadira

• IPA^(key): /lɑːɡ/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːɡ
• Hyphenation: lag

From Old Norse lag (“layer; companionship”), from Proto-Germanic *lagą (“situation; law”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”).

lag n (definite singular laget, indefinite plural lag, definite plural laga or lagene)

1. a layer (a single thickness of some material covering a surface)
   • 1874, Henrik Ibsen, Peer Gynt, page 9:

     lag af tåger

     layers of mists

   • 1904, Hans E. Kinck, Emigranter, page 121:

     [de fykende snøkorn] roed sig lag paa lag

     [the fumbling snowflakes] calmed layer upon layer

   • 2005, Elisabeth Botterli et al., Madonna-gåten:

     de [hadde] nettopp byttet vinduer. Tre lag isolerglass

     they [had] just changed windows. Three layers of insulating glass

   • 2008, Kari Bøge, Komponisten:

     selv krystall kan sendes i posten om en pakker det i mange nok lag med bobleplast

     even crystal can be sent in the mail if one packs it in many enough layers of bubble wrap

   • 2010, Margit Vea, Kjøkkenpatruljen:

     bruk en liten sikt og dryss et tynt lag med melis over pannekaken

     use a small sieve and sprinkle a thin layer of icing sugar over the pancake

   • 2011, Lars Mytting, Hel ved, page 44:

     harde tresorter [på peisen] om kvelden … gir et fint lag glør som fyrer opp neste ilegg

     hard woods [on the fireplace] in the evening… gives a nice layer of embers that fires up the next insert

   • 2011, Ingeborg Arvola, Grisehjerter:

     de ytterste lagene av en løk

     the outer layers of an onion

   • 2012, Line Nyborg, Du vet ikke hvem jeg er:

     lag på lag med tapet

     layer upon layer of wallpaper

   • 2012, Britt Karin Larsen, Før snøen kommer:

     lag på lag med plagg

     layer upon layer of garments

   • 2021, Monica Isakstuen, Mine venner, page 167:

     jeg liker et tynt lag smør under pålegget

     I like a thin layer of butter under the topping

   1. (masonry) a horizontal row of bricks (in a masonry) bounded by two horizontal joints
   2. (chiefly geology) a horizontal widespread mass of soil or rock, formed by deposition
      • 1897, Fridtjof Nansen, Fram over Polhavet I, page 89:

        lagene i fjeldet staar paa ende, er brukket og bølet

        the layers of the rock stand on end, are broken and bulging

   3. (colloquial) a layer; part, section (part of a whole that one imagines divided along horizontal lines)
      • 1884, Alexander L. Kielland, Fortuna, page 148:

        i dette land har de øvre lag staaet næsten stille i et par generationer

        in this country the upper layers have stood almost still for a few generations

      • 1911, Sigrid Undset, Jenny, page 217:

        de dypeste lag i deres begges væsen

        the deepest layers of their being

      • 2008, Kurt Sweeney, Kjegler:

        siste lag med toleranse flerres vekk

        last layer of tolerance several away

2. the correct or usual way in which something is arranged; correct and regular order, condition, etc.
   • 2010, Peter Serck, Natten:

     jeg [tok det] som et tegn på at vårt venninneforhold ennå sto ved lag

     I [took it] as a sign that our friendship was still standing

   • 1929, Sverre Steen, Ferd og fest, page 205:

     hver ferdemann hadde til plikt å legge en sten til varden når han fór forbi for at den kunde holdes ved lag og helst bli større

     each traveler had a duty to lay a stone at the cairn when he passed by so that it could be kept at bay and preferably become larger

   • 1994, Atle Næss, Østre linje:

     krona var av samme verdi som før krigen og verden skulle sånn sett være i lage igjen

     the krona was of the same value as before the war and the world was thus to be regular again

   • 1879, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norske Folke- og Huldre-Eventyr, page 108:

     huset kom saa rent af lage, at det gav sig i alle laft

     the house came so clean of the ordinary, that it gave way in every nook and cranny

   • 1917, Knut Hamsun, Markens Grøde I, page 91:

     hun hadde stelt alt av lage for dem

     she had taken care of everything regular for them

   • 1909, Henrik Ibsen, Efterladte Skrifter I, page 405:

     verden er af lave

     the world is of the ordinary

   • 1873, Henrik Ibsen, Kærlighedens komedie, page 91:

     bring ham ej af lave

     do not disturb him

   • 1879, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norske Folke- og Huldre-Eventyr, page 35:

     saa lagde jeg i paa nyt lag

     then I made it all over again

   stå ved lag ― still have its validity; remain unchanged

   holde ved lag ― preserve something in old custom

   være/komme i lag/lage ― be/come in its usual custom

   være/komme av lage ― be/get out of their usual or proper custom

   på nytt lag ― again; with new strength/courage

3. normal and good mood or temperament
   • 1907, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnsons fortællinger, page 301:

     [han] var ikke til at få i lag

     [he] was not to get in a good mood

   • 1896, Thomas Krag, Ada Wilde, page 241:

     fruen var i bedre lav forrige gang

     the lady was in a better mood last time

   • 1918, Gabriel Scott, Kilden, page 22:

     fisken er i det rigtige lave

     the fish is in the real temperament

   • 1927, Regine Normann, Nordlandsnatt, page 35:

     hun [var] amper og ute av lag

     she [was] amp and out of the ordinary mood

   • 1929, Johan Bojer, Folk ved sjøen, page 241:

     [han måtte] skøie med henne, når han var i laget til det

     [he had to] joke with her, when he was in the mood for it

   Synonym: godlag

   Antonym: ulag

4. (etiquette) correct and polite language or manner
   • 1852, Henrik Wergeland, Samlede Skrifter II, page 20:

     aaretakten kan jeg kjende: uden regel, uden lag

     the rate of the year I can know: without rule, without manners

   • 1890, Henrik Ibsen, Hedda Gabler, page 4:

     jeg er rigtig så ræd for, at jeg ikke skal gøre det til lags for den unge fruen

     I'm really so scared I'm not going to make it fun for the young lady

   • 1918, Gabriel Scott, Kilden, page 101:

     [hun] vet ikke hvordan hun bedst skal te sig for at være Markus til lag

     [she] does not know how best to behave in order to make Markus satisfied

   • 2007, Ragnhild Nilstun, Min lange reise ender her:

     Hanna fikk tøye seg i alle retninger, forsøkte å gjøre dem alle til lags

     Hanna had to stretch in all directions, trying to please them all

   være/gjøre noen til lag(s) ― be/act so that it suits someone; that someone is satisfied

   1. Used to indicate an approximate amount of something.
      • 2010, Tore Rem, Født til frihet, page 9:

        huset bør være verdt et sted mellom 120 og 150 000 kroner, men er beheftet med om lag 60 000 i lån

        The house should be worth somewhere between 120 and 150,000 kroner, but is encumbered with about 60,000 in loans

      Coordinate terms: om lag, omtrent

   2. (chiefly dialectal) Used to indicate an approximate amount of something, with the prepositions på (“on”) and ved (“by”).
      • 1907, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnsons fortællinger, page 98:

        hvem på lag er den stærkeste der over på eders side?

        just about who is the strongest over there on your side?

      • 1892, Henrik Ibsen, Bygmester Solness, page 71:

        [den 19. september eller] så ved lag

        [on September 19 or] so approximately

      • 1897, Fridtjof Nansen, Fram over Polhavet I, page 524:

        vore nye askekjælker var nu paa lag færdige

        our new ash sledges were now about finished

      • 1918, Gabriel Scott, Kilden, page 142:

        han steger ut paa det lav klokken fire

        he steps out at about four o'clock

      • 1960, Johan Bojer, Samlede verker IV, page 165:

        her blir mest som et sanatorium paa lag

        here is mostly like a sanatorium approximately

      • 1960, Johan Bojer, Vår egen stamme, page 93:

        kor på lag var det han strauk

        choir about was what he flunked

   3. Used in the definite form with the preposition i (in) and a superlative adjective to indicate a high degree of something.
      • 1918, Gabriel Scott, Kilden, page 164:

        benstellet [på hummeren] er i tyndeste laget

        the tooth frame [on the lobster] is very thin

      • 1920, Peter Egge, Inde i Fjordene, page 353:

        Siri var i seneste laget

        Siri was very late

      • 1992, Torgrim Eggen, Gjeld, page 266:

        anda er i feteste laget for ham, men den er nydelig tilberedt

        the duck is too fat for him, but it is beautifully cooked

      • 1988, Arild Nyquist, Giacomettis forunderlige reise:

        denne historien virket litt i eventyrligste laget – for å si det pent

        this story seemed a bit in the more adventurous theme - to say the least

      • 2002, Geir Pollen, Når den gule solen brenner:

        spillelæreren syntes det var i tidligste laget å gi seg i kast med Mozarts klarinettkonsert

        the playing teacher thought it was a bit early to embark on Mozart's clarinet concerto

5. (chiefly dialectal) manner; being, appearance (characteristic mode of acting or behaving)
   • 1925, Sigrid Undset, Olav Audunssøn i Hestviken I, page 207:

     [hun likte] hans rolige, godlidende lag

     [she liked] his calm, good-natured way of being

   • 1925, Peter Egge, Hansine Solstad, page 96:

     [det var] noget i alt hans lag som pekte paa at han visste hvem han var

     [there was] something in all his manners that pointed out that he knew who he was

6. an individual and natural way of treating people; way of approaching something
   • 1877, Jørgen Moe, Samlede Skrifter II, page 16:

     at bringe folkets fortællere til aabent og uforbeholdent at meddele sig – forudsætter et eget lag at behandle dem paa

     to bring the narrators of the people to openly and unreservedly communicate - presupposes a separate way to treat them on

   • 1992, Eilert Sundt, Om giftermål i Norge, page 214:

     stenbrydere og sådan grove arbeidsmænd have så lidet lag på at indrette det hyggeligt for sig i det logement

     quarrymen and such rude workers have so little ways to arrange it cozy for themselves in that lodging

   • 1917, Knut Hamsun, Markens Grøde I, page 133:

     hun hadde lag med børn

     she had a way with children

   • 1920, Sigrid Undset, Kransen, page 194:

     alle vitenskaper og kunster tror jeg den manden hadde faat laget for av Gud selv

     all sciences and arts I believe the man had been made for by God himself

   • 1923, Hans Aanrud, Fortællinger I, page 152:

     han havde faaet et sligt lag til at snakke passelig grovt med kvindfolkene

     he had got such a way to talk suitably rudely with the women

   • 1990, Atle Næss, Kraften som beveger:

     hun hadde et særlig lag med supper, de var kraftige og mettende

     she had a special way with soups, they were powerful and filling

   • 2020, Tove Nilsen, Den eneste broren, page 163:

     du har laget, jeg merker det, du har laget

     you have a way with it, I notice it, you have a way

7. a gathering, company; togetherness, companionship
   • 1926, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Samlede Digte I, page 27:

     [vi] legte sammen i skog og lage’

     [we] played together in the woods and in company

   • 1917, Hans Aanrud, Fortællinger for barn I, page 231:

     Astrid satte sig bort til bordet i lag med jenterne

     Astrid sat down at the table together with the girls

   • 1927, Johan Bojer, Samlede verker III, page 18:

     tak for laget i sommer da!

     thanks for the company this summer then!

   • 1915, Anders Krogvig, Fra det nationale gjennembruds tid. Breve fra Jørgen Moe til P. Chr. Asbjørnsen og andre, page 15:

     [romjulen gikk] med lag og lystighet, dans og optog, julebukker og lekemoro

     [Christmas time went] with companionship and merriment, dancing and processions, Yule goats and playing

   • 1923, Hans Aanrud, Fortællinger I, page 10:

     nei, han Far faar bli; den skammen vil jeg [dvs. Iver Langseth] ikke ha, at’n Far har brudt lag paa Langseth

     no, father may stay; that shame I will [meaning Iver Langseth] not have, that father has left Langseth

   • 1879, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norske Folke- og Huldre-Eventyr, page 331:

     paa hjemveien kom han i lag med grander og bygdefolk

     on the way home he came in contact with grander and villagers

   • 1917, Knut Hamsun, Markens Grøde II, page 18:

     jeg var tilfreds jeg kunde slaa lag med dig

     I was satisfied I could follow with you

   • 1908, Knut Hamsun, Rosa, page 327:

     hun møtte ham paa vejen og slog sig i lag med ham

     she met him on the road and joined him

   • 1886, Alexander L. Kielland, Sne, page 18:

     [husmennene] gav sig ilag med granen

     [the housekeepers] joined the spruce

   • 1917, Knut Hamsun, Markens Grøde II, page 27:

     hun hadde opdaget hvad han var i lag med

     she had discovered what he was up to

   bryte lag ― break up from; leave a company

   være/komme i lag (med) ― become joined (with)

   slå/gjøre lag med ― follow along

   slå seg i lag med ― join in; join with

   gi seg i lag med; være i lag med ― be/give in to

8. a flock, company, circle of people (united in togetherness, socializing, friendship or common profession)
   • 1830, Conrad N. Schwach, Erindringer af mit Liv indtil Ankomsten til Throndhjem, page 329:

     vi skulde i al privat stilhed holde et lag

     we were to keep a company in all private silence

   • 1917, Halfdan Kjerulf, Av hans efterladte papirer 1831–1847, page 264:

     det var et sluttet lag af lidt over 50 personer

     it was a closed gathering of just over 50 people

   • 1873, Henrik Ibsen, Hærmændene på Helgeland, page 78:

     den ypperste mand i laget

     the supreme man in the flock

   • 1873, Henrik Ibsen, Kærlighedens komedie, page 100:

     forlovet mand er tabt for venners lag

     an engaged man is lost of friends' company

   • 1885, Henrik Ibsen, Brand, page 13:

     derborte står det glade lag

     over there stands the happy group of people

   • 1907, Bernt Lie, Mot Overmagt, page 35:

     i godt lag og ved et godt glas punsch

     in good company and by a good glass of punch

   • 1926, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Samlede Digte II, page 229:

     vi gik fræm i samlet lag

     we went forward in unison

   • 1874, Henrik Ibsen, De unges forbund, page 96:

     så kom der liv i laget

     then came life in the gathering

   • 1874, Henrik Ibsen, Peer Gynt, page 149:

     jeg følte mig aldrig hjemme i laget, og aldrig rigtig som mand af faget

     I never felt at home in the company, and never really as a man of the trade

   • 1885, Henrik Ibsen, Brand, page 256:

     vi er små, er sidst i laget

     we are small, are last in the flock

   • 2005, Universitas:

     [han] har valgt å gi seg etter fire år som rektor [ved Universitetet i Oslo]. Han har ikke lagt skjul på at kona har hatt et ord med i laget

     [he] has chosen to resign after four years as rector [at the University of Oslo]. He has made no secret of the fact that his wife has had a say in the decision

   • 1907, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnsons fortællinger, page 73:

     «God kveld!» sagde Margit, … «og signe laget!»

     "Good evening!" said Margit, … "and greetings!"

   ha et ord med i laget ― have an influence in a decision

   gi sitt ord med i laget ― speak with; give their effort

   signe laget ― greeting for a group of people (literally: bless the company)

   godt lag gjør kortere dag ― time flies in good company

   1. a festive gathering or company; party
      • 1871, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norske Folke-eventyr, page 166:

        [de] holdt bedt lag og kastud hver dag

        [they] had a wild party with people getting thrown out every day

      • 1885, Henrik Ibsen, Brand, page 18:

        så holdt han lag tre døgn tilende

        then he kept company for three days

      • 1874, Henrik Ibsen, Peer Gynt, page 66:

        det glittrer fra hver en rude; der er lag i den store sal

        it glitters from each a pane; there are parties in the great hall

      • 1907, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnsons fortællinger, page 24:

        moderen havde ikke været i lag, siden hun var jente

        the mother had not been in a lively gathering since she was a girl

   2. a group of people working together; a team
      • 2001, Marianne Bjørneboe (Editor), Filmfortellere, page 51:

        [produksjonsselskapet] ville gjerne sette sammen et lag for å utvikle tittelnovellen til et filmmanuskript, men hadde klare ambisjoner om å gjøre dette på en uortodoks måte

        [the production company] wanted to put together a team to develop the title story into a film script, but had clear ambitions to do so in an unorthodox way

      • 2009, Kjetil Stensvik Østli, Politi og røver:

        McCauley leder et lag av kjeltringer som behersker flere håndverk. Kortsvindel, sprengstoff, betongsaging, åpning av safer, spaning

        McCauley leads a team of thugs who master several crafts. Card fraud, explosives, concrete sawing, opening of safes, reconnaissance

      Synonyms: arbeidslag, team

   3. (military) a squad (smallest division unit of a troop; usually of about ten members)
   4. (sports) a sports team (a group (of at least two), which during a competition acts as a whole)
      • 1933, Tidens Tegn, page 8:

        de danske aviser roser alle det norske lag

        the Danish newspapers all praise the #Norwegian team

      • 1933, Christian A. R. Christensen, Det hendte igår, page 84:

        antallet av tilsluttede lokale lag er steget fra 720 til over 1 500

        the number of affiliated local teams has risen from 720 to over 1,500

      • 2004, Dag Solstad, Artikler 1993–2004:

        laget [Lillestrøm] rykket først opp i hovedserien i 1951/52-sesongen, fem sesonger etter at hovedserien hadde startet

        the team [Lillestrøm] first moved up in the main series in the 1951/52 season, five seasons after the main series had started

      • 2003 March 6, Fædrelandsvennen‎^[fvn.no]:

        det er ikke første gang spøkefuglen Robbie [Williams] utgir seg for å ‘spille på det andre laget’. Under en konsert har han presentert sin tidligere låtskriver Guy Chambers som sin elsker

        this is not the first time the joker Robbie [Williams] has pretended to 'play for the other team'. During a concert, he presented his former songwriter Guy Chambers as his lover

      • 2016 September 17, Nordlys‎^[nordlys.no]:

        jeg er anvendelig og kan ta en for laget med å spille i ny posisjon [høyre back]

        I am useful and can take one for the team to play in a new position [right back]

      • 2017 January 18, Nettavisen‎^{[nettavisen.no]}:

        vi bør ta en for laget og akseptere at alkohol ikke selges overalt fordi vi vet at økt tilgjengelighet fører til mye utrygghet

        we should take one for the team and accept that alcohol is not sold everywhere because we know that increased availability leads to a lot of insecurity

      spille på det andre laget ― play for the other team; be gay

      ta en for laget ― take one for the team

   5. an association (a group of persons associated for a common purpose; an organization)
9. (military, nautical) a row of cannons at the same height in the broadside of warships
   • 1875, Henrik Ibsen, Digte, page 100:

     længre vest er en skumklædt grund, der gav [yachten] det glatte lag

     further west is a foam-covered ground that gave [the yacht] the shooting cannons

   • 1929, Olaf Benneche, Tordenskjold, page 116:

     – Klar ved kanonene der! Gi ham det glatte lag, fyr!

     - Ready for the cannons there! Give him the shooting cannons, fire!

   • 1873, Henrik Ibsen, Kærlighedens komedie, page 137:

     fast aldrig var vi enige, vi gav hinanden tidt det glatte lag

     though we never agreed, we often gave each other the full truth

   • 1946, Joachim Holst-Jensen, Holst-Jensen ruller opp, page 95:

     da tok sinnet meg, jeg riposterte i anmelderens egen avis og ga ham det glatte lag

     then the mind took me, I reposted in the reviewer's own newspaper and gave him the honest truth

   • 1995, John Ege, Dominoklubben:

     jeg ga han det glatte lag, spurte om han hadde lært å kjøre drosje i Kardemomme by

     I gave him the harsh truth, asked if he had learned to drive a taxi in Cardamom town

   gi (noen) det glatte lag ― fire all the cannons on one side of the ship at once; bombard someone with harsh truths

From Old Norse lǫg (“fate, situation; law”), from lag (“layer; companionship”), from Proto-Germanic *lagą (“situation; law”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”).

lag m (definite singular lagen, indefinite plural lager, definite plural lagene)

1. (historical, Norway) a district (area which is under common law and has common principal Things)

   Synonym: distrikt

   Trøndelag, Gulatingslagen, Frostatingslagen

   Trøndelag, Gulathing Law, Frostathing Law

2. (obsolete) a law (the body of binding rules and regulations, customs and standards established in a community by its legislative and judicial authorities)

   Synonym: lov

   • (Can we date this quote?), Henrik Wergeland, Samlede Skrifter VI,1, page 62:

     skotske lag og drot

     Scottish law and king

lag

1. imperative of lage

• “lag” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “lag_1” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
• “lag_2” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
• “lag” in Store norske leksikon
• “lag (geologi)” in Store norske leksikon
• “lag (militærvesen)” in Store norske leksikon
• “lag (idrett)” in Store norske leksikon

• gal, gla

From Old Norse lag, from Proto-Germanic *lagą.

• IPA^(key): /lɑːɡ/
• Rhymes: -ɑːɡ

lag n (definite singular laget, indefinite plural lag, definite plural laga)

1. layer
2. team (group of people)
3. mood
4. (military) a squad

• (sense 2) team

lag

1. imperative of laga

• “lag” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

From Proto-Germanic *lagą, from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-.

lag n (genitive lags, plural lǫg)

1. stratum, layer
2. due place, right position
3. companionship, fellowship
4. living together
5. cohabitation
6. market price, tax
7. thrust, stab (with a knife, sword or spear)
8. air, tune

• laga
• leggja
• liggja

• Icelandic: lag n; lög n pl
• Faroese: lag
• Norwegian Nynorsk: lag n; log f
• Old Swedish: lagh
  • Swedish: lag n, lag c or f
    • → Finnish: laki
• Old Danish: lagh, logh
  • Danish: lag n, lav c, lov
    • Norwegian Bokmål: lag n, lov m
    • → Faroese: lóg f
    • → Norwegian Nynorsk: lov f or m
• → Old English: lagu
  • → Middle English: lawe, laȝe, lagh
    • English: law (“score, share of expense, legal charge”)
• Scots: lauch, lawch

• lag in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, G. T. Zoëga, Clarendon Press, 1910, at Internet Archive.

From Proto-Germanic *lēgaz (“low”).

lāg (comparative lāgiro, superlative lāgist)

1. low

Borrowed from English lag.

• IPA^(key): /lak/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ak
• Syllabification: lag
• Homophone: lak

lag m inan

1. (computing, slang) lag (bad connection, loss of connection)

   Synonym: opóźnienie

• lag in Polish dictionaries at PWN

• laitg (Sutsilvan)
• lai (Rumantsch Grischun, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Vallader)
• lej (Puter)

From Latin lacus, from Proto-Italic *lakus, from Proto-Indo-European *lókus (“lake, pool”).

lag m (plural lags)

1. (Sursilvan, Sutsilvan) lake

From Old Irish lac (“weak”).

• IPA^(key): /l̪ˠak/

lag

1. weak, feeble

• deoch-lag

lag

1. Romanization of 𒋃 (lag)

• IPA^(key): /lɑːɡ/

• audio (ett lag)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːɡ

From Old Swedish lagh, from Old Norse lǫg. Cognate with Danish lov, Norwegian lov, English law. Related to Old Norse leggja “to define”.

lag c

1. a law; a written or understood rule that concerns behaviours and the appropriate consequences thereof. Laws are usually associated with mores.
2. law; the body of written rules governing a society.
3. a law; a one-sided contract.
4. a law; an observed physical law.
5. (mathematics) a law; a statement that is true under specified conditions.

Appears with a frozen genitive from when till governed the genitive in the expression vara någon till lags (“to please someone”).

• juridik

From Old Swedish lagher, from Old Norse lǫgr, from Proto-Germanic *laguz, from Proto-Indo-European *lókus. Cognate with Latin lacus.

lag c

1. (cooking) a water-based solution of sugar, salt and/or other spices; e.g. brine

• saltlag
• sockerlag
• ättikslag

From Old Swedish lagh, from Old Norse lag. Derived from Old Norse leggja (“to lay”) or liggja (“to lie”).

lag n

1. a workgroup, a team; group of people which in sports compete together versus another team; or in general, work closely together

• lag in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• lag in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• lag in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

• alg, gal

lag

1. wild cat