Cough

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /kÉ’f/
• US enPR: kôf, IPA: /kÉ‘f/, /kÉ”f/
• Rhymes: -É’f

Origin

From Middle English coughen, coghen, from Old English *cohhian (compare Old English cohhetan ("to shout")), from Proto-Germanic *kuh-. Cognate with Dutch kuchen ("to cough"), German keuchen ("to pant"), Albanian hukat ("pant, gasp").

Full definition of cough

Verb

1. To push air from the lungs in a quick, noisy explosion.
• 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 3, One saint's day in mid-term a certain newly appointed suffragan-bishop came to the school chapel, and there preached on “The Inner Life.”  He at once secured attention by his informal method, and when presently the coughing of Jarvis … interrupted the sermon, he altogether captivated his audience with a remark about cough lozenges being cheap and easily procurable.
• 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, I drew a deep breath, and a moment later wished I hadn't, because I drew it while drinking the remains of my gin and tonic. “Does Kipper know of this?“ I said, when I had finished coughing.
2. I breathed in a load of smoke by mistake, and started to cough.
3. To make a noise like a cough.
   The engine coughed and sputtered.

Derived terms

• cougher
• cough up

Noun

1. A sudden, usually noisy expulsion of air from the lungs, often involuntary.Behind me, I heard a distinct, dry cough.
2. A condition that causes one to cough; a tendency to cough.Sorry, I can't come to work today – I've got a nasty cough.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

• cough medicine
• cough mixture
• cough syrup
• whooping cough