The word lag has a Scandinavian origin. Earlier lag meant last person. When someone lags he is said to have failed to keep up pace with something or someone. For example: his company lagged behind his competitor's expansion. It means he could not bring his company to progress like his competitors. Lag also means to become slow or develop slowness.

The act or state of retardation or lagging is called lag. Even thing or person that lags and the interval between two things is called lag. If someone is arrested or sent to prison, he is lagged. The person convicted is also termed lag. Lag is a barrel stave.

 Lag is also a common term used by online multiplayer gamers. It denotes a slow down in network performance which affects the chatter between networks - thus affecting game play. It creates a jolty graphic display. Another affect of lag is "rubber banding" where by the user jumps back to where they once were in the game.