nag

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

nag, n. [OE. nagge, D. negge; akin to E. neigh.].

•  A small horse; a pony; hence, any horse, especially one that is of inferior breeding or useless.  [1913 Webster]
•  A paramour; -- in contempt.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

nag, v. t. & i. [Cf. Sw. nagga to nibble, peck, Dan. nage to gnaw, Icel. naga, gnaga, G. nagen, & E. gnaw.].

 To tease in a petty way; to scold habitually; to annoy; to fret pertinaciously.  J. Ingelow.  [1913 Webster]

nag, n. 

 A person who nags, especially habitually; called also nagger.  [PJC]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

nag, v. & n.
--v. (nagged, nagging)
1 a tr. annoy or irritate (a person) with persistent fault-finding or continuous urging. b intr. (often foll. by at) find fault, complain, or urge, esp. persistently.
2 intr. (of a pain) ache dully but persistently.
3 a tr. worry or preoccupy (a person, the mind, etc.) (his mistake nagged him). b intr. (often foll. by at) worry or gnaw.
--n. a persistently nagging person.

Derivative

nagger n. naggingly adv.

nag, n.
1 colloq. a horse.
2 a small riding-horse or pony.

Etymology

ME: orig. unkn.

THESAURUS

nag

Houyhnhnm, advocate, aggravate, annoy, annoyer, apply pressure, badger, badgerer, bait, balker, balky horse, be at, bedevil, beset, besiege, blandish, bother, bring to recollection, bristle, brood mare, brown off, bug, bully, bullyrag, burn up, buttonhole, cajole, call on, call upon, carp at, carry back, charger, chivy, coax, colt, courser, critter, crock, crowbait, devil, discompose, distemper, disturb, dobbin, dog, dun, egg, entire, entire horse, equine, exasperate, exercise, exert pressure, exhort, fash, filly, foal, fret at, fuss, fuss at, garron, gelding, get, give a hint, give the cue, goad, goat, gripe, hack, harass, harasser, harrier, harry, hassle, heckle, heckler, hector, henpeck, high-pressure, hold the promptbook, horse, hound, importune, insist, insist upon, irk, jade, jawbone, jog the memory, jughead, lobby, mare, miff, molest, mount, nag at, needle, nettle, nibble at, niggle, nudge, nudnik, nudzh, peck at, peeve, persecute, persecutor, pest, pester, pesterer, pick at, pick on, pique, plague, plaguer, plead with, pluck the beard, plug, ply, pother, prancer, press, pressure, prod, prompt, prompt the mind, provoke, push, put in mind, put in remembrance, recall, recommend, remember, remind, remind one of, ride, rile, roarer, rogue, roil, rosinante, ruffle, sadist, scalawag, soft-soap, stallion, steed, stiff, stud, studhorse, suggest, sweet-talk, tarpan, tease, teaser, top horse, torment, tormentor, try the patience, tweak the nose, urge, vex, war-horse, wheedle, whistler, wild horse, work on, worry, yap at

ROGET THESAURUS

nag

Discord

VB be discordant, disagree, come amiss, clash, jar, jostle, pull different ways, conflict, have no measures with, misunderstand one another, live like cat and dog, differ, dissent, have a bone to pick, have a crow to pluck with, fall out, quarrel, dispute, litigate, controvert, squabble, wrangle, jangle, brangle, bicker, nag, spar, have words, with, fall foul of, split, break with, break squares with, part company with, declare war, try conclusions, join issue, put in issue, pick a quarrel, fasten a quarrel on, sow dissension, stir up dissension, embroil, entangle, disunite, widen the breach, set at odds, set together by the ears, set against, pit against, get into hot water, fish in troubled waters, brawl, kick up a row, kick up a dust, turn the house out of window, be discordant, jar.

Carrier

N carrier, porter, bearer, tranter, conveyer, cargador, express, expressman, stevedore, coolie, conductor, locomotive, motor, beast, beast of burden, cattle, horse, nag, palfrey, Arab, blood horse, thoroughbred, galloway, charger, courser, racer, hunter, jument, pony, filly, colt, foal, barb, roan, jade, hack, bidet, pad, cob, tit, punch, roadster, goer, racehorse, pack horse, draft horse, cart horse, dray horse, post horse, ketch, Shetland pony, shelty, sheltie, garran, garron, jennet, genet, bayard, mare, stallion, gelding, bronco, broncho, cayuse, creature, critter, cow pony, mustang, Narraganset, waler, stud, Pegasus, Bucephalus, Rocinante, ass, donkey, jackass, mule, hinny, sumpter horse, sumpter mule, burro, cuddy, ladino, reindeer, camel, dromedary, llama, elephant, carrier pigeon, pallet, brace, cart, dolley, support, fork lift, carriage, ship, equine, asinine.