hough

[ hok; Scots hokh ]

/ hɒk; Scots hɒx /

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noun

Scot. hock¹ (defs. 1, 2).

verb (used with object)

Scot. to hamstring.

verb (used without object)

British Dialect Obsolete. to clear the throat; hack.

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Origin of hough

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at hock¹

Other definitions for hough (2 of 2)

Hough

[ huhf ]

/ hʌf /

noun

Emerson, 1857–1923, U.S. novelist.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use hough in a sentence

These were smugglers' horses, clipped to the skin, with houghed manes, and tails and bodies sleek with soft soap.
The Adventures of Harry Revel|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
The Etonians, in order to secure the ram, houghed him in the Irish fashion, and then attacked him with great clubs.
The Parent's Assistant|Maria Edgeworth
MacLaren died, and about the same time his cattle were houghed, and his live stock destroyed in a barbarous manner.
Rob Roy, Volume 1., Illustrated|Sir Walter Scott
At one signal the horses were to be houghed with these instruments, and the infantry attacked with poniards.
Letters from Spain|Joseph Blanco White

Now during the lawsuit we usually houghed and mutilated each other's cattle, according as they trespassed the premises.
The Ned M'Keown Stories|William Carleton

British Dictionary definitions for hough

hough

/ (hɒk) British /

noun

another word for hock 1

(hɒx) in Scotland, a cut of meat corresponding to shin

verb (tr)

to hamstring (cattle, horses, etc)

Word Origin for hough

C14: from Old English hōh heel

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