bough

[ bou ]

noun

1. a branch of a tree, especially one of the larger or main branches.

bough

/ baʊ /

noun

1. any of the main branches of a tree

Other Words From

• boughless adjective
• under·bough noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bough¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bogh, Old English bōg, bōh “shoulder, bough”; cognate with Old Norse bōgr, Dutch boeg, German Bug; akin to Greek pêchys, Sanskrit bāhu

Word History and Origins

Origin of bough¹

Old English bōg arm, twig; related to Old Norse bōgr shoulder, ship's bow, Old High German buog shoulder, Greek pēkhus forearm, Sanskrit bāhu ; see bow ³, elbow

Synonym Study

See branch.

Example Sentences

A couple of innocuous paragraphs are all that appeared in the privately printed book, The Fruitful Bough.

From The Daily Beast

No man should regard the subject of religion as decided for him until he has read The Golden Bough.

From Project Gutenberg

Outside Rome, showing the same ideas at work among neighbouring peoples, was the 'golden bough' in the grove of Diana at Aricia.

From Project Gutenberg

A few more shots put an end to its existence, and we then pulled up under the bough on which it was hanging.

From Project Gutenberg

Wandering from the parent bough,Little, trembling leaf,Whither goest thou?

From Project Gutenberg

The birds were singing, black squirrels were jumping from bough to bough, and they could hear the tapping of the woodpecker.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• sprig