Skegg

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic term for a beard, the hair growing on a man's chin and cheeks
2. Old English and Norse word meaning the growth of hair on the face of a man
3. A dated word for the facial hair that grows on the chin and jaw of a man

Etymology: Before it named a fin on a boat or a surfboard, "skegg" was the Old Norse word for "beard." Old Norse was spoken by Scandinavian settlers in northern England and Scotland, and the word passed into northern English dialect, where it kept its sense of beard for centuries. Its Old English relatives are the reason the word feels familiar to English ears, though the exact links are debated among scholars. The nautical sense appeared much later. In English, a "skeg" is a projecting fin or extension on the underside of a boat's hull, often near the rudder or propeller, where it guards those parts. The connection to "beard" is probably one of shape: a thin, hanging projection below the main body. Surfers borrowed the term for the fin at the tail of a board, which is why "skeg" now appears in both boating and surfing.