-fag

• (euphemistic) -friend
• (euphemistic) -frog

From fag (“homosexual man, annoying person, etc.”); compare -man. Popularized on the 4chan online community (see also Christopher "Moot" Poole's tripcode of #faggot). First attested in c. early 2000s.

For similar semantic drift in slang from derogatory to neutral, ironic or affectionate, compare some senses of bugger, cunt, etc.

-fag

1. (Internet slang, originally 4chan slang, offensive, derogatory) Suffix that forms pejorative nouns, generally referring to specific types of people and sometimes used ironically or even affectionately.
   • 2008 May 18, Askren [username], “Re: Is Cos and RTC violating U.S. tax law?”, in alt.religion.scientology‎^[1] (Usenet):

     I'll forward this to a few lawfags and see what he^[sic] deal is.

   • 2008 July 11, Onideus Mad Hatter [username], “BTW Lego Newfag”, in rec.toys.lego‎^[2] (Usenet):

     Oh, also, using Outhouse Express...yeah, really shows off what a Usenet newfag you are, just a lil FYI for ya. You might wanna try XNews or Agent or any *REAL* news browser (not a mail client with some sloppily added extras).

   • 2009 June 18, Onslaught Six [username], “Re: I really didn't study for this test”, in alt.toys.transformers‎^[3] (Usenet):

     The pathetic Usenet oldfags will cling to their pathetic, outdated and boring medium as the new-world forumites rule the Interwebs universe.

• This highly-productive suffix is controversial and not likely to be understood properly outside of 4chan-linked and similar imageboard culture. The non-derogatory senses especially may elude many people and be taken for homophobic offense (e.g. compare popularity of normie on most social media vs. normalfag).

• → Finnish: -homo (calque)

• 厨

• gaf, GFA, FGA, Afg.

Borrowed from Latin -phagus, from Ancient Greek φάγος (phágos, “glutton”), from φαγεῖν (phageîn, “to eat”).

-fag m (noun-forming suffix, plural -fags)

1. -phage

-fag (adjective-forming suffix, feminine -faga, masculine plural -fags, feminine plural -fagues)

1. -phagous

• -fagia

• “-fag”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek -φάγος (-phágos). Related to bóg.

• IPA^(key): /fak/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ak
• Syllabification: [please specify syllabification manually]
• Homophone: fag

-fag m

1. -phage

   ‎bakteria + ‎-fag → ‎bakteriofag

• -fagia

• -fag in Polish dictionaries at PWN

-fag

1. -phage.