Progging

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Searching around by poking, prodding or rummaging through things in an untidy, nosy way
2. Hunting about for something by poking and sorting through objects or a pile of material
3. Rooting around in a space, often with the hands or a stick, to see what can be found there

Etymology: "Progging" is the present participle of "prog", so it carries the same history as its base verb. The verb "prog" is a clipping, shortened from longer words, and its meaning of poking about or rummaging looks to be the older sense it kept. Alongside it sits "proke", a variant that shows the same root had more than one shape in use. The simplest way to read the word is as a form that has been trimmed down over time, with the base verb keeping the sense of searching nosily through things. The "-ing" ending simply carries that action forward into the continuous form, so the word describes someone in the middle of prying into things.

Synonyms: poking, prodding, rummaging