Borg
English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bɔː(ɹ)ɡ/
Audio (General Australian): (file) - Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)ɡ
Etymology 1
- As a Danish and Norwegian surname, from various places derived from Old Norse borg (“stronghold”).
- As a north/Low German surname, this is the Low German form of the surname Burg.
- As a Jewish surname, from Yiddish בורג (burg, “credit”), from Middle High German borgen (“to lend, borrow”), from Old High German borgēn.
- As a Maltese surname, from the noun borġ (“tower, stronghold”), distantly related to the first two senses above.
Proper noun
Borg (plural Borgs)
- A surname
See also
Etymology 2
From the Star Trek franchise, in which the Borg are a cyborg race intent on converting all other life into their own kind; apparently a clipping of cyborg, from cybernetic + organism.
Alternative forms
Noun
Borg (plural Borgs or Borg)
- (slang) One who proselytises or assimilates.
- 2005[1]:
- Go for the fun of it (yes, I am one of the Borgs) and don't let equipment bother you. Just remember this even when the Borgs assimilate you.
- 2005[1]:
Verb
Borg (third-person singular simple present Borgs, present participle Borging, simple past and past participle Borged)
- (slang) To assimilate rivals, via corporate acquisition or religious proselytisation.
- 2003, “Microsoft trying to borg google.”, in New York Times[2]:
- 2004, alt.religion.asatru[3] (Usenet):
- The Christians could afford to spend generations converting northern Europe and that's exactly what they did. We have that example from history. We know there are other faiths out there that want to wipe us out, and there are other faiths out there that want to Borg us. The fact that some are still here after decades means we aren't giving in this time, and you're one of the ones here over a decade."
- 2004[4]:
- They are trying to turn you into them. They are trying to borg us.
- (slang) To turn into a cyborg, to implant machinery into people with the intent of controlling or assimilating them.
Usage notes
- Mainly seen in the infinitive form and rarely in lower case.
Anagrams
German
Alternative forms
- Barg (archaic)
Etymology
From Middle High German barc, from Old High German barug, from Proto-West Germanic *barug.
The contemporary vocalism is based on Middle Low German borch, which may be an old variant with zero-grade (compare Old English borg). Cognate with Dutch barg, English barrow.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bɔrk/, [bɔʁk], [bɔɐ̯k], [bɔːk]
Audio: (file)
Noun
Borg m (strong, genitive Borges or Borgs, plural Börge)
- barrow (castrated boar)
Usage notes
- Borg is a technical term used chiefly by those in contact with farming. Its intelligibility among the general public is limited.
Declension
Further reading
- “Borg, Schwein” in Duden online
- “Borg, Geliehenes” in Duden online
- “Borg” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
Maltese
Etymology
From borġ.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bɔrt͡ʃ/
Proper noun
Borg
- a surname
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Old Norse Borg, from borg.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /borɡ/
- (Østfoldmål) IPA(key): /bœrj/
Proper noun
Borg f
Related terms
Swedish
Etymology
From berg (“mountain”).
Proper noun
Borg c (genitive Borgs)
- a common surname