Other forms: lagged, lagging, lags
Lag is the delay between an action and the machine's response. Network lag, input lag, terrible lag.
In games it is the difference between pressing and seeing, and even a tenth of a second is enough to lose a fight — which is why competitive players care about latency more than about frame rate. As a verb it means to fall behind: lagging behind the others. Quite separately, to lag a pipe is to insulate it, and lagging is that material, which is a different word altogether.
1nounlagThe delay between an action and the response.
“There's a slight lag between the picture and the sound on this video call.”
2verbfallTo fall behind.
“The youngest child began to lag behind the others on the long walk home.”
lag is a delay, or a falling behind.
The origin is unknown, possibly Scandinavian. The insulating sense comes from a separate word meaning a barrel stave, since lagging was once wrapped in strips.
Of unknown origin. Possibly of gmq origin.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA