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Where does the word "haggle" come from? It comes from Old Norse hoggva, and was adopted directly into English (1500s).
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Where does the word "haggle" come from? It comes from Old Norse hoggva, and was adopted directly into English (1500s).
Haggle’s story begins in Old Norse: hoggva meant “to chop, to hew.” From 'hag', to hack, a frequentative form. It reached English by 1500s as haggle. Narrowed to mean bargaining persistently over a price. Today, haggle means to bargain persistently over the terms of a deal, especially a price.
- Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval hoggva "to chop, to hew", from 'hag', to hack, a frequentative form.
- Stage 2 · English · 1500s haggle "to bargain persistently over a price", narrowed to mean bargaining persistently over a price.