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cosh

1
[ kosh ]
/ kɒʃ /
Chiefly British Slang.
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See synonyms for: cosh / coshed / coshing on Thesaurus.com
noun
a blackjack; bludgeon.
verb (used with object)
to hit on the head with a cosh.
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Origin of cosh

1
First recorded in 1865–70; of uncertain origin; perhaps from Romani kosh, koshter “piece of wood,stick,” akin to Sanskrit kāṣṭham

Words nearby cosh

coseismal, Cosell, Cosenza, coset, Cosgrave, cosh, cosher, Coshocton, Così fan tutte, cosign, cosignatory

Other definitions for cosh (2 of 2)

cosh2
[ kosh ]
/ kɒʃ /
noun Mathematics.
hyperbolic cosine.

Origin of cosh

2
First recorded in 1870–75; cos(ine) + h(yperbolic)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to cosh

business, staff, nightstick, truncheon, bash, bludgeon, clobber, pummel, whack, baton, billy, blackjack, cudgel, hammer, hickory, mace, mallet, persuader, quarterstaff, rosewood

How to use cosh in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cosh (1 of 2)

cosh1
/ (kɒʃ) British /
noun
a blunt weapon, often made of hard rubber; bludgeon
an attack with such a weapon
verb (tr)
to hit with such a weapon, esp on the head

Word Origin for cosh

C19: from Romany kosh, from koshter skewer, stick

British Dictionary definitions for cosh (2 of 2)

cosh2
/ (kɒʃ, ˈkɒsˈeɪtʃ) /
noun
hyperbolic cosine; a hyperbolic function, cosh z = 1/2 (e z + e –z), related to cosine by the expression cosh i z = cos z, where i = √–1

Word Origin for cosh

C19: from cos (ine) + h (yperbolic)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for cosh

cosh
Abbreviation of hyperbolic cosine
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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