Snug

How to spell snug

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce snug

What does snug mean?

1. adjectiveWarm, comfortable, and sheltered, or fitting closely and neatly.

Snug in a sentence

• The cabin felt warm and snug once the fire was lit.

• These new boots are snug around the ankle but not painful.

Where does snug come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Snug first appears in English in the late 1500s, originally as a nautical term describing a ship that was trim, compact, and well prepared for bad weather, with everything stowed away neatly. It is thought to come from a Low German or Scandinavian source; compare the Old Norse word 'snoggr', meaning 'short' or 'close-cropped', and similar Dutch and North German words for trim, neat, or tight. From the idea of a ship made tight and secure against the sea, the meaning broadened to anything fitting closely or kept warm and protected, and by the 1600s it described cosy, sheltered comfort indoors. The spelling stayed refreshingly simple, four letters that match the sound, which is why the real trap is not the letters but remembering it takes a single 'g' rather than doubling. Its origin among seafaring and trading communities of the North Sea explains why it feels so plainly Germanic rather than Latin or French.

How the word is built

• snug (single root, of Low German/Scandinavian origin; no prefix or suffix)