cog

¹

[ kog, kawg ]

noun

1. a gear tooth, formerly especially one of hardwood or metal, fitted into a slot in a gearwheel of less durable material.
2. a cogwheel.
3. a person who plays a minor part in a large organization, activity, etc.:

   He's just a small cog in the financial department.

verb (used without object)

, cogged, cog·ging.

1. (of an electric motor) to move jerkily.

verb (used with object)

, cogged, cog·ging.

1. to roll or hammer (an ingot) into a bloom or slab.

cog

²

[ kog, kawg ]

verb (used with object)

, cogged, cog·ging.

1. to manipulate or load (dice) unfairly.

verb (used without object)

, cogged, cog·ging.

1. to cheat, especially at dice.

cog

³

[ kog, kawg ]

noun

1. Carpentry. (in a cogged joint) the tongue in one timber, fitting into a corresponding slot in another.
2. Mining. a cluster of timber supports for a roof. Compare chock ( def 4 ).

verb (used with or without object)

, cogged, cog·ging.

1. Carpentry. to join with a cog.

cog.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. cognate.

cog

¹

/ kɒɡ /

noun

1. a tenon that projects from the end of a timber beam for fitting into a mortise

verb

1. tr to join (pieces of wood) with cogs

cog

²

/ kɒɡ /

noun

1. any of the teeth or projections on the rim of a gearwheel or sprocket
2. a gearwheel, esp a small one
3. a person or thing playing a small part in a large organization or process

verb

1. tr metallurgy to roll (cast-steel ingots) to convert them into blooms

cog

³

/ kɒɡ /

verb

1. slang.
   to cheat (in a game, esp dice), as by loading a dice

Word History and Origins

Origin of cog¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English cogge, probably from a North Germanic language; compare Swedish kugge, Norwegian kugg “cog”; akin to German Kugel “bullet, ball, shot,” Old English cycgel ( cudgel ( def ) )

Origin of cog²

First recorded in 1525–35; origin uncertain

Origin of cog³

1855–60; special use of cog ¹; replacing cock in same sense, special use of cock ¹ (in sense of projection); coak

Word History and Origins

Origin of cog¹

C19: of uncertain origin

Origin of cog²

C13: of Scandinavian origin; compare Danish kogge, Swedish kugge, Norwegian kug

Origin of cog³

C16: originally a dice-playing term, of unknown origin

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. slip a cog, to make a blunder; err:

   One of the clerks must have slipped a cog.

More idioms and phrases containing cog

In addition to the idiom beginning with cog , also see slip a cog .

Example Sentences

Without some help from Washington, there’s no way that number doesn’t continue to climb — right as those same workers are crucial cogs to vaccine distribution.

From Time

In a sign of the times, “Instagram editor” is now an official title at The Washington Post and a key cog in the newspaper publisher’s subscription business.

From Digiday

How well they fit in and make that transition from startup to big company cog, will go a long way in determining the success of this transaction in the long run.

From TechCrunch

Where you can literally see the cogs turning and they get to a position, or they come up with an explanation.

From Ozy

On Android, from Settings go to Accessibility and Text-to-speech output, then tap the cog next to Preferred engine and choose Install voice data.

From Popular-Science

A poor cog in the machine, she seemed to feel no more disgrace than a blood-diamond miner.

From The Daily Beast

You might be a cog at a trading desk, compensated with nothing but money.

From The Daily Beast

The apples are heaped on all sides, and are first crushed between wooden cog-wheels and caught in tubs.

From Project Gutenberg

Nay,” returned Mr. Archer with a smile, “no man can put complete reliance in blind fate; he must still cog the dice.

From Project Gutenberg

Each one is a cog in the vast organization and one slip may disrupt the whole arrangement.

From Project Gutenberg

Back in the East, things have been settled for so long that a man's only a cog in a machine.

From Project Gutenberg

Here, though, was evidence either that the War Lord was running out of metal or that his system had slipped a cog.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• prong