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sough

1
[ sou, suhf ]
/ saʊ, sʌf /
|
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verb (used without object)

to make a rushing, rustling, or murmuring sound: the wind soughing in the meadow.
Scot. and North England. to speak, especially to preach, in a whining, singsong voice.

noun

a sighing, rustling, or murmuring sound.
Scot. and North England.
  1. a sigh or deep breath.
  2. a whining, singsong manner of speaking.
  3. a rumor; unconfirmed report.

RELATED WORDS

sigh, burble, ripple, utter, verbalize, mumble, gurgle, purr, growl, vocalize, tinkle, whisper, moan, babble, hum, stutter, mutter, rumble, trickle, stammer

Nearby words

  1. soufflot,
  2. soufflot, jacques germain,
  3. soufflé,
  4. souffre-douleur,
  5. soufrière,
  6. sought,
  7. sought after,
  8. sought-after,
  9. souk,
  10. soukous

Origin of sough

1
before 900; (v.) Middle English swoghen, Old English swōgan to make a noise; cognate with Old Saxon swōgan, Old English swēgan, Gothic -swōgjan; (noun) Middle English swow, swo(u)gh, derivative of the v.
Related formssough·ful·ly, adverbsough·less, adjective

sough

2
[ suhf, sou ]
/ sʌf, saʊ /
British

noun

drain; drainage ditch, gutter, or sewer.
a swampy or marshy area.

verb (used with object)

to drain (land or a mine) by building drainage ditches or the like.
Also especially Scot., sugh.

Origin of sough

2
1250–1300; Middle English sogh, sohn < ?; compare Dutch (dial.) zoeg little ditch
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sough

British Dictionary definitions for sough

sough

1
/ (saʊ) /

verb

(intr) (esp of the wind) to make a characteristic sighing sound

noun

a soft continuous murmuring sound

Word Origin for sough

Old English swōgan to resound; related to Gothic gaswogjan to groan, Lithuanian svageti to sound, Latin vāgīre to lament

noun

Northern English dialect a sewer or drain or an outlet channel

Word Origin for sough

of obscure origin
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 sough

sough

v.

"to make a moaning or murmuring sound," Old English swogan "to sound, roar, howl, rustle, whistle," from Proto-Germanic *swoganan (cf. Old Saxon swogan "to rustle," Gothic gaswogjan "to sigh"), from PIE imitative root *(s)wagh- (cf. Greek echo, Latin vagire "to cry, roar, sound"). The noun is late 14c., from the verb.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper