To Jog Once Meant to Nudge
Jogging is running at a steady easy pace. The verb first meant to give something a small push, which is why it can still jog your memory.
Jogging is running slowly enough to keep going. The verb is much older than the exercise: to jog meant to nudge or shake, which survives in *jog your memory* and *jog someone's elbow*. The running sense came from the jolting motion, and the leisure craze arrived in the 1960s and 1970s.
- Running at a slow steady pace. *Morning jogging.*
- To nudge or shake slightly. *He jogged my arm.*
- Jog your memory — prompt a recollection. *This photo might jog your memory.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | jogging | Jogging shoes. |
| Verb | jog | They jog daily. |
| Past | jogged | We jogged home. |
| Person | jogger | An early-morning jogger. |
| Related | running | Distance running. |
How it is used in a sentence
- She took up jogging after the operation.An uncountable activity.
- Something jogged his memory at last.The nudging sense.
- Joggers were out despite the rain.The people; also, in Britain, the trousers.
Running vocabulary
- Jog — easy pace, conversational
- Run — faster, sustained effort
- Sprint — maximum speed for a short distance
- Interval training — alternating hard and easy stretches
- Fartlek — Swedish for speed play, unstructured intervals
*Jog* is recorded from the sixteenth century, probably imitative of a jolting movement. The New Zealand coach Arthur Lydiard's slow running groups helped spread the modern sense worldwide.
Jogging or running?
There is no fixed line. Jogging usually means a pace you could hold a conversation at; running implies effort and speed.
What are joggers in British English?
Loose trousers with an elastic waist, worn for exercise or comfort. The people who jog are joggers too, so context matters.