What does cig mean?
A cig is simply an informal shortening of the word 'cigarette', used almost exclusively in casual conversation rather than formal writing. The word captures the way spoken English routinely trims longer terms down to something quicker and easier: 'cigarette', a borrowed French word of five syllables, becomes the single brisk syllable 'cig'. It appears most often in phrases like 'going out for a cig' or 'have you got a cig?', typically among smokers or in social settings where smoking comes up naturally. Because it belongs firmly to informal register, it suits dialogue, personal emails, and relaxed speech, but would be replaced by 'cigarette' in professional or published prose. The term carries no strong emotional charge beyond the general associations of smoking itself — relaxation for some, health risk for others — making it a neutral piece of everyday slang that any fluent speaker will recognise instantly.
nounA cigarette; an informal, shortened form of the word used chiefly in casual speech.
- An informal term for a cigarette.
"He stepped outside for a quick cig before the meeting started."
"She nipped out to the fire escape for a cig during her lunch break."
""Got a spare cig on you?" he asked, patting his empty pockets."
Regular plural, formed by adding -s. Used informally, e.g. when referring to multiple cigarettes.
"He bought a pack of twenty cigs at the corner shop."
'Cig' is what happens when English speakers get impatient with a five-syllable French loanword — 'cigarette' got clipped to a single brisk syllable.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cig
The word 'cig' arose as a natural spoken abbreviation of 'cigarette', which entered English from French in the nineteenth century. The French 'cigarette' itself derives from 'cigare' (cigar), ultimately from Spanish 'cigarro'. As an informal clipping, 'cig' developed through ordinary conversational usage rather than through any formal coinage, becoming established in both British and American English by the twentieth century.
How cig is actually used
Strictly informal and colloquial; out of place in formal writing. Common in everyday British and American speech. In British slang, 'fag' is the more traditional equivalent but has become increasingly avoided due to its offensive sense elsewhere.
Easily confused with cig
A cigar is a larger roll of tobacco leaves meant to be smoked slowly without inhaling, while a cig is a small paper-wrapped cigarette.
A sig is a signature or a signal in technical contexts, whereas a cig is a cigarette.