tag

Etymology 1

From Middle English tagge (“small piece hanging from a garment”), probably of North Germanic origin. Compare Norwegian tagg (“point; prong; barb; tag”), Swedish tagg (“thorn; prickle; tine”), Icelandic tág (“a willow-twig”). Compare also tack.

noun

1. A small label.
2. (playground games) A children's chasing game in which one player (known as "it") attempts to touch another, who then becomes "it".
3. A skin tag, an excrescence of skin.
4. A type of cardboard.
5. Graffiti in the form of a stylized signature particular to the artist.
   There is a hierarchy of sorts: a throw-up can go over a tag, a piece over a throw-up, and a burner over a piece. 2011, Scape Martinez, Graff 2: Next Level Graffiti Techniques, page 124
6. A dangling lock of sheep's wool, matted with dung; a dung tag.
7. (informal, authorship) An attribution in narrated dialogue (eg, "he said") or attributed words (e.g. "he thought").
   , Seems here like Russ would be speaking. You could use a tag here.michael on alt.fiction.original
   If you want to start with talk, stick a tag in right awayJane MacDonald on alt.fiction.original
   You could combine these two paragraphs, I think, and rewrite to lose the tag portion of the third sentence.bart_...@hotmail.com on alt.fiction.original
8. (music) The last line (or last two lines) of a song's chorus that is repeated to indicate the end of the song.
9. (television) The last scene of a TV program, often focusing on the program's subplot.
   Often, the tag punctuates the "we're all in this together" theme and is topped with a laugh. 2006, Stephen V. Duncan, A Guide to Screenwriting Success, page 300
10. (chiefly US) A vehicle number plate; a medal bearing identification data (animals, soldiers).
    The subwoofer in the trunk was so loud, it vibrated the tag like an aluminum can.
11. (baseball) An instance of touching the baserunner with the ball or the ball in a gloved hand to rule him "out."
    The tag was applied at second for the final out.
12. (computing) A piece of markup representing an element in a markup language.
    The tag provides a title for the Web page.
    The tag conveys sarcasm in Internet slang.
13. (computing) A keyword, term, or phrase associated with or assigned to data, media, and/or information enabling keyword-based classification; often used to categorize content.
    I want to add genre and artist tags to the files in my music collection.
14. Any slight appendage, as to an article of dress; something slight hanging loosely.
15. A metallic binding, tube, or point, at the end of a string, or lace, to stiffen it.
16. The end, or catchword, of an actor's speech; cue.
17. Something mean and paltry; the rabble.
18. A sheep in its first year.
    After being weaned, the ram or wedder lamb is sometimes termed hog, hoggit, or tag, during the whole of the first year 1807, The Complete Farmer, or, General Dictionary of Agriculture and Husbandry, →OCLC
19. (biochemistry) Any short peptide sequence artificially attached to proteins mostly in order to help purify, solubilize or visualize these proteins.
20. (slang) A person's name.
    What’s your tag?

verb

1. (transitive) To label (something).
2. (transitive, graffiti) To mark (something) with one’s tag.
3. (transitive) To remove dung tags from a sheep.
   Regularly tag the rear ends of your sheep.
4. (transitive, baseball, colloquial) To hit the ball hard.
   He really tagged that ball.
5. (transitive, vulgar, slang, 1990s) to have sex with someone (especially a man of a woman)
   Steve is dying to tag Angie from chemistry class.
6. (transitive, baseball) To put a runner out by touching them with the ball or the ball in a gloved hand.
   He tagged the runner for the out.
7. (transitive, computing) To mark with a tag (metadata for classification).
   I am tagging my music files by artist and genre.
8. To follow closely, accompany, tag along.
9. (transitive) To catch and touch (a player in the game of tag).
10. (transitive) To fit with, or as if with, a tag or tags.
11. To fasten; to attach.
    a. 1751, Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, an essay they began to tag their law with the scraps of philofophy

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Aramaic תגא (“crown”). Doublet of taj.

noun

1. A decoration drawn over some Hebrew letters in Jewish scrolls.