ENGLISH
REFERENCE

corgi

n.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈkɔɹɡi// UK //kˈɔːɡi// cor·gi

n. a small dog with short legs and a long body. It is a popular breed that people often keep as a pet.

n. a small, short-legged dog breed of the corgi family, originally bred in Wales for herding cattle. Often used as a general term for any small, low-to-the-ground canine.


SIMPLE

The corgi ran around the garden chasing a ball.

CONTEXTUAL

Many people choose a corgi as a family pet because they are friendly and easy to train.

COMPLEX

While the Pembroke Welsh corgi is the most famous variety, the Cardigan corgi is slightly larger and has a longer coat.

Origin

PIE word *ḱwṓ Borrowed from Welsh corgi, a compound of cor (“dwarf”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker- (“to cut off”)) + gi (the soft mutation of ci (“dog”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱwṓ (“dog”), perhaps from *peḱ- (“livestock; wealth”)). The rare plural form corgwn is borrowed from Welsh corgwn.

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