egg on

English

verb

Definitions

(transitive) To encourage or coax a person to do something, especially something foolhardy or reckless.

Etymology

Derived from Middle English eggen (instigate, urge on, incite) derived from Old Norse eggja (incite, egg on).

Origin

Old Norse

eggja

Gloss

incite, egg on

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms

*agjō Proto-Germanic
eggen Middle English
eggin Middle English
eggyn Middle English
eggyng Middle English
egment Middle English
ateggjan Old Norse
eggja Old Norse
eggjan Old Norse
áeggjan Old Norse
ægge Danish
eggja Faroese