Sagg

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To hang down, bend, or sink lower under a load or pressure, losing firmness or height
2. To droop downward or settle unevenly because of weight, lacking support or rigidity
3. Describing the act of drooping or dipping gradually, as something heavy sinks out of its normal shape

Etymology: "Sagg" is a verb and noun meaning to droop or sink under weight, and its history runs through the sea. It comes from Middle English "saggen," which first appears in the 1300s, probably from Scandinavian sources such as Norwegian dialect "sakka," meaning to hang loosely or lag behind. Many English words of northern origin entered the language through Norse speakers in Britain, and "sagg" is one of them, though its exact early path is uncertain. The sense of sinking under weight is the one that stuck, and it was used of ships long before it described sofas and shelves. A vessel that was heavily loaded would settle lower in the water, and the same idea of a slow downward bend carried over to beams, branches, and mattresses. The noun, meaning a dip or sinking in the middle of something, developed from the verb in the same way.