Jug

How to spell jug

3 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce jug

What does jug mean?

1. nounA deep vessel with a handle, and often a spout, used for holding and pouring liquids.

Jug in a sentence

• She filled the jug with water and set it on the table.

• The cafe served the juice in a tall glass jug.

Where does jug come from?

Language of origin: Unknown

The word jug appears in English in the late 1500s as a name for an earthenware drinking or pouring vessel, and its origin is genuinely murky. The leading explanation is that it began as a playful use of Jug, a pet form of the women's names Joan, Joanna, or Judith, in the same way that other household items once carried familiar personal names. Over time the proper name faded and jug settled into its plain meaning of a deep container with a handle and often a spout for holding liquids. Because the source is a nickname rather than a classical root, the spelling stayed short and phonetic, which is why it gives modern writers no trouble. In British usage it has also picked up the informal sense of prison, the slang term jail by another route, and in some kitchens to jug something means to stew it in a covered pot.

How the word is built

• jug (single root, no affixes; possibly from Jug, a familiar form of the names Joan or Judith)