hough
/hɑk/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.98 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Alternative form of hock (“tarsal joint of a digitigrade quadruped”).
verb
Alternative form of hock (“to hamstring”).
noun
Alternative form of hoe.
name
A surname.
name
A village and former civil parish, now in Hough and Chorlton parish, south of Crewe, Cheshire East district, Cheshire, England (OS grid ref SJ7150).
Example Sentences
- "In the bright light, lightened and cooled in limb, he eyed carefully his black trousers, the ends, the knees, the houghs of the knees."
- "Far and wide the farms were burnt over their owners’ heads, the growing crops upon the ground; the horses were houghed, the cattle driven off; while of human death and misery there was no end."
- "1748, James Thomson, The Castle of Indolence, K:LV Better the toiling Swain, oh happier far! Perhaps the happieſt of the Sons of Men! Who vigorous plies the Plough, the Team, or Car; Who houghs the Field, or ditches in the Glen, Delves in his Garden, or ſecures his Pen."
Etymology
From Middle English hough, houȝ, hoch, howghe, from Old English hōh (“heel, hough”), from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄h, from Proto-Germanic *hanhaz (“heel”). Doublet of hoo. The regular modern English development would be /hʌf/, /haʊ/; this has been replaced by /hɒk/, originating in the compound huxen (also *hoxen), from Old English hōhsinu.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: hough, hōh, *hą̄h, *hanhaz, ho, -
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /hɑk/
- British English: /hɒk/