hoarse
[ hawrs, hohrs ]
/ hɔrs, hoʊrs /
adjective, hoars·er, hoars·est.
having a vocal tone characterized by weakness of intensity and excessive breathiness; husky: the hoarse voice of the auctioneer.
having a raucous voice.
making a harsh, low sound.
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Nearby words
hoarding, hoare, hoare, samuel, hoarfrost, hoarhound, hoarse, hoarsely, hoarsen, hoary, hoary cress, hoary marmot
Origin of hoarse
1350–1400; Middle English hors < Old Norse *hārs (assumed variant of hāss); replacing Middle English hoos, Old English hās, cognate with Old High German heis, Old Saxon hēs
Related formshoarse·ly, adverbhoarse·ness, noun
Can be confusedhoarse horse
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for hoarse
hoarse
/ (hɔːs) /
adjective
gratingly harsh or raucous in tone
low, harsh, and lacking in intensitya hoarse whisper
having a husky voice, as through illness, shouting, etc
Derived Formshoarsely, adverbhoarseness, noun
Word Origin for hoarse
C14: of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse hās, Old Saxon hēs
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
Word Origin and History for hoarse
hoarse
late 14c., hors, earlier hos, from Old English has "hoarse," from Proto-Germanic *haisa- (cf. Old Saxon hes, Old Norse hass, Dutch hees, Old High German heisi, German heiser "hoarse"), perhaps originally meaning "dried out, rough." The -r- is difficult to explain; it is first attested c.1400, but it may indicate an unrecorded Old English variant *hars. Related: Hoarsely; hoarseness.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for hoarse
hoarse
[ hôrs ]
adj.
Rough or grating in sound, as of a voice.
Having or characterized by a husky, grating voice.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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