Thigging

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Asking persistently for money, food or small favours, especially as alms in the manner of a beggar
2. Going around requesting charity or handouts from others, often in a humble or pleading manner
3. Seeking gifts or donations from people as a way of getting by, a practice common in Scots dialect

Etymology: "Thigging" is the present participle and gerund of "thig," a verb meaning to beg or ask for alms. It is the -ing form of that verb, and the verb itself is the older word, so the form takes its meaning from the base. In Middle English, the noun "thyggynge" meant both the act of taking in food and the act of begging. That pairing is the surprise: the two senses sat side by side, both resting on the idea of receiving or taking something in. Begging survived as the dominant sense, and it is the one "thig" kept into later English, where it is now found mainly in dialect and in older writing.

Synonyms: begging, cadging