hoarse

[hawrs, hohrs]

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.

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

Synonyms for hoarse

1. harsh, grating; throaty, rough.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for hoarsely

hoarse

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 hoarsely

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.

hoarsely in Medicine

hoarse

[hôrs]

adj.

Rough or grating in sound, as of a voice.
Having or characterized by a husky, grating voice.