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Origin of cough

1275–1325; Middle English coghen, apparently <Old English *cohhian (compare its derivative cohhettan to cough); akin to Dutch kuchen to cough, German keuchen to wheeze

OTHER WORDS FROM cough

cougher, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cough

cough , cuff, koph
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cough in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cough

cough
/ (kɒf) /

verb
(intr) to expel air or solid matter from the lungs abruptly and explosively through the partially closed vocal chords
(intr) to make a sound similar to this
(tr) to utter or express with a cough or coughs
(intr) slang to confess to a crime
noun
an act, instance, or sound of coughing
a condition of the lungs or throat that causes frequent coughing

Derived forms of cough

cougher, noun

Word Origin for cough

Old English cohhetten; related to Middle Dutch kochen, Middle High German kūchen to wheeze; probably of imitative origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for cough

cough
[ kĆ“f, kŏf ]

The act of expelling air from the lungs suddenly and noisily, often to keep the respiratory passages free of irritating material.
The American HeritageĀ® Science Dictionary Copyright Ā© 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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