Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Hug

Hug , intransitive verb

[Probably of Scand. origin; compare Danish sidde paa huk to squat, Swedish huka sig to squat, Icelandic h{not transcribed}ka. Compare Huckster.]

1.
To cower; to crouch; to curl up. [Obsolete] — Palsgrave
2.
To crowd together; to cuddle. [Obsolete] — Shakespeare

Hug , transitive verb

1.
To press closely within the arms; to clasp to the bosom; to embrace.
And huggen me in his arms. — Shakespeare
2.
To hold fast; to cling to; to cherish.
We hug deformities if they bear our names. — Glanvill
3.
(Nautical) To keep close to; as, to hug the land; to hug the wind.
Collocations (1)
To hug one's self , to congratulate one's self; to chuckle.

Hug , noun

A close embrace or clasping with the arms, as in affection or in wrestling. — Fuller