jig

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun music in three-four time for dancing a jig
  2. noun a fisherman's lure with one or more hooks that is jerked up and down in the water
  3. noun a device that holds a piece of machine work and guides the tools operating on it

Etymology

Unknown. Derivation from Middle English gyge (“fiddle”), from Old French gigue (“a fiddle”) has been proposed, but the connection and sense development are obscure. The sense “a type of dance” of modern French gigue is borrowed from English.

In classic literature

Synonyms

gigue

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