stag

Etymology

From Middle English stagge, steg, from Old English stagga, stacga (“a stag”) and Old Norse steggi, steggr (“a male animal”), both from Proto-Germanic *staggijô, *staggijaz (“male, male deer, porcupine”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *stegʰ-, *stengʰ- (“to sting; rod, blade; sharp, stiff”). Cognate with Icelandic steggi, steggur (“tomcat, male fox”). Related to staggard, staggon.

noun

1. (countable) An adult male deer.
2. (countable) A colt, or filly.
3. (by extension, countable, obsolete) A romping girl; a tomboy.
4. (countable) An improperly or late castrated bull or ram – also called a bull seg (see note under ox).
5. (countable, finance) An outside irregular dealer in stocks, who is not a member of the exchange.
6. (countable, finance) One who applies for the allotment of shares in new projects, with a view to sell immediately at a premium, and not to hold the stock.
7. (countable, usually attributive) An unmarried man; a bachelor; a man not accompanying a woman at a social event.
   a stag dance; a stag party; a stag bar
8. (countable) A social event for men held in honor of a groom on the eve of his wedding, attended by male friends of the groom; sometimes a fundraiser.
   The stag will be held in the hotel's ballroom.
9. (uncountable, UK, military, slang) Guard duty.
   Between shifts on stag or manning the radio, we grabbed a few hours sleep. 2000, Richard Tomlinson, The big breach: from top secret to maximum security, page 31
   Three days were spent on standby or patrols and a fourth day on guard, with at least eight hours on stag. 2012, Max Benitz, Six Months Without Sundays: The Scots Guards in Afghanistan
10. (countable) A stag beetle (family Lucanidae).
    Members of the genus Pasimachus […] can be confused with stag beetles […] but stags have elbowed antennae. 2007, Eric R. Eaton, Kenn Kaufman, Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America, page 132
11. (countable) The Eurasian wren, Troglodytes troglodytes.

verb

1. (intransitive, Britain) To act as a "stag", an irregular dealer in stocks.
2. (transitive) To watch; to dog, or keep track of.

adv

1. Of a man, attending a formal social function without a date.
   My brother went stag to prom because he couldn't find a date.