Jagged

How to spell jagged

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce jagged

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does jagged mean?

1. adjectiveHaving a rough, uneven edge or surface with sharp points or notches.

Jagged in a sentence

• The climbers struggled across the jagged rocks near the summit.

• A jagged piece of glass had fallen from the broken window.

Where does jagged come from?

Language of origin: Other

Jagged grows from the verb and noun 'jag', which appeared in late Middle English around the 1400s to describe a sharp notch, a cut, or a pointed projection. The exact origin of 'jag' is uncertain; it may be imitative or related to other northern English and Scots words for stabbing and pricking, and lexicographers generally label it of obscure root. Tailors of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries used 'jagged' for the fashionable slashing and notching cut into the edges of garments, so a 'jagged' hem meant one deliberately cut into points. From that decorative sense the word broadened to anything with an uneven, sharply toothed outline, such as rocks, broken glass, or a torn edge. The doubled spelling can mislead writers because the single 'g' of the base 'jag' is doubled before the suffix, following the rule that a short stressed vowel doubles the final consonant.

How the word is built

• jag (a sharp notch or tooth-like projection)
• -ed (adjective suffix)