Debagging

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of taking off or removing a bag or bags from an object, container, or person
2. Removing bags that cover, contain, or are attached to something
3. Taking bags away from or off of something that has been bagged

Etymology: "Debagging" is the present participle and gerund of "debag", which combines the Latin-derived prefix "de-" with "bag". The verb is built from familiar parts: the prefix signals removal or reversal, and "bag" supplies the object being removed. In its plainest sense, to debag someone means to pull off their trousers, a meaning the verb carries in the pranks and rough-housing associated with school and military life. The prefix "de-" entered English from Latin "de", meaning "down from" or "away from", and it has been used productively to form verbs of undoing, such as "debone" or "decamp". "Bag" traces back to Middle English "bagge", which is of uncertain origin, with possible links to Old Norse and Old French forms. Combining the two produced a verb that is easy to parse even for someone meeting it for the first time.