hoarse
[hawrs, hohrs]
- 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.
Show More
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
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
throatyharshgruffraucousdiscordantgravellyblatantcrackeddrygratinggutturalhuskyindistinctjarringpiercingraggedroughscratchingstridentthickhoarse
- gratingly harsh or raucous in tone
- low, harsh, and lacking in intensitya hoarse whisper
- having a husky voice, as through illness, shouting, etc
Show More
Word Origin
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
adj.
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.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
hoarse
(hôrs)- Rough or grating in sound, as of a voice.
- Having or characterized by a husky, grating voice.
Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.