bough

B3O1U1G2H4
/ˈbaʊ̯/[ˈbaʊ̯]/ˈbæʊ̯/[ˈbæʊ̯]

noun

A tree-branch, usually a primary one directly attached to the trunk.

“When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall. (Rock-a-bye Baby)”

OriginMiddle English bough ← Old English bōg ← Proto-West Germanic *bōgu →
Less commonScrabble 11
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Meanings

bough1

nounbough (plural boughs)

plural boughs · alternative obsolete bow · alternative obsolete bowe

  1. A tree-branch, usually a primary one directly attached to the trunk.

    When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall. (Rock-a-bye Baby)

    5 more examples

    Where the Bee ſucks, there ſuck I, / In a Cowſlips bell, I lie, / There I cowch when Owles doe crie, / On the Batts backe I doe flie / after Sommer merrily. / Merrily, merrily, ſhall I liue now / Vnder the bloſſom that hangs on the Bow.

    1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 17, column 1

    When thou beateſt thine oliue tree thou shalt not goe ouer the boughes againe: it shall be for the ſtranger, for the fatherleſſe, and for the widow.

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 24:20

    [Y]ou are to faſten that line to any bow neer to a hole where a Pike is, or is likely to lye, or to have a haunt, […]

    1653, Iz[aak] Wa[lton], chapter VII, in The Compleat Angler or The Contemplative Man’s Recreation. Being a Discourse of Fish and Fishing, […], London: […] T. Maxey for Rich[ard] Marriot, […], →OCLC; reprinted as The Compleat Angler (Homo Ludens; 6), Nieuwkoop, South Holland, Netherlands: Miland Publishers, 1969, →ISBN, page 154

    When the Corn was ſow'd, I had no Harrow, but was forced to go over it my ſelf, and drag a great heavy Bough of a Tree over it, to Scratch it, as it may be call'd, rather than Rake or harrow it.

    1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, page 139

    Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed / Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu; […]

    1819 May, John Keats, “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, in Lamia, Isabella, the Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems, London: […] [Thomas Davison] for Taylor and Hessey, […], published 1820, →OCLC, stanza 3, page 114
  2. figurativelyobsoletepoeticA gallows.

    "No need," he said, "long words to make, / And little heed we thy lies now, / But if she doom thee to the bough.["]

    1870, William Morris, “December: The Fostering of Aslaug”, in The Earthly Paradise: A Poem, part IV, London: F[rederick] S[tartridge] Ellis, […], →OCLC, page 77
    1 more example

    It was vſed of auncient time in Gauelkind land, & hath receiued the allowance and iudgement of a good and lawfull cuſtome, that if the huſband be attainted and executed for a felonie by him committed, yet ſhall his wife for the ſolace of her loſſe and deſolation haue her dowrie of his land, and alſo the heire ſhall inherite the ſame according to that olde ſaying: The father to the bough, & the ſonne to the plough, […]

    1584, A Breefe Discourse, Declaring and Approuing the Necessarie and Inuiolable Maintenance of the Laudable Customes of London: […], London: […] Henrie Midleton for Rafe Newberie, →OCLC, pages 26–27

Bough2

proper nounBough (plural Boughs)

plural Boughs

  1. A surname.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
branchlimb

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂ǵʰús“arm”
  2. Proto-Germanic*bōguz“shoulder; upper arm”
  3. Proto-West Germanic*bōgu
  4. Old Englishbōg
  5. Middle Englishbough“branch of a bush or tree, especially a main branch; limb of an animal or person; something resembling a branch (such as a plant root or branch of a nerve); (figuratively) Christian cross; descendant, offspring”
  6. Englishbough

PIE word *bʰeh₂ǵʰús From Middle English bough (“branch of a bush or tree, especially a main branch; limb of an animal or person; something resembling a branch (such as a plant root or branch of a nerve); (figuratively) Christian cross; descendant, offspring”) [and other forms], from Old English bōg, bōh (“tree bough or branch; arm; shoulder”), from Proto-West Germanic *bōgu, from Proto-Germanic *bōguz (“shoulder; upper arm”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂ǵʰús (“arm”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Bouch, West Frisian boech, Dutch boeg, German Low German Boog, German Bug, Danish bov, Icelandic bógur, and distantly with Ancient Greek πῆχυς (pêkhus, “forearm, cubit, etc.”). Doublet of bow ("front of a ship, prow").

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ἀκρεμών, κλάδος
  • ἀκρεμών (akremṓn)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • κλάδος (kládos)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • ὀρόδαμνος (oródamnos)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Arabic غُصْن
  • غُصْن (ḡuṣn)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Bulgarian клон
  • клон (klon)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Catalan branca
  • brancafirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Chinese Mandarin 樹枝 /树枝, 枝
  • 樹枝 /树枝 (shùzhī)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • 枝 (zhī)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Czech větev, větévka
  • větevfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • větévkafirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Danish gren
  • grenfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Dutch tak
  • takfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Esperanto branĉo
  • branĉofirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Estonian tüvik
  • tüvikfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Finnish oksa, haara
  • oksafirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • haarafirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
French branche
  • branchefirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
German Ast
  • Astfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Greek κλάδος
  • κλάδος (kládos)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Hebrew בַּד
  • בַּד (bad)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Hindi शाखा, टहनी
  • शाखा (śākhā)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • टहनी (ṭahnī)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • डाल (ḍāl)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • डाली (ḍālī)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Hungarian ág
  • ágfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Icelandic grein, trjágrein
  • greinfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • trjágreinfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Irish géag
  • géagfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Italian ramo
  • ramofirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Japanese 枝, 大枝
  • 枝 (eda)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • 大枝 (ōeda)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Korean 가지
  • 가지 (gaji)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Latin rāmus, termes
  • rāmusfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • termesfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Māori kūhā, kūwhā
  • kūhāfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • kūwhāfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • rūhāfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Norwegian Bokmål grein, gren
  • greinfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • grenfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Persian شاخه
  • شاخه (šâxe)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Polish gałąź, konar
  • gałąźfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • konarfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Portuguese galhada, galho
  • galhadafirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • galhofirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • ramofirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Romanian creangă, cracă
  • creangăfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • cracăfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Russian сук, ве́тка
  • сук (suk)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • ве́тка (vétka)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • ветвь (vetvʹ)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Scottish Gaelic faillean, fiùran
  • failleanfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • fiùranfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • geugfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • meanglanfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • meurfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • òganachfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Slovak konár, vetva
  • konárfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • vetvafirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Spanish rama
  • ramafirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Swedish gren, trädgren
  • grenfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • trädgrenfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Turkish dal
  • dalfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Ukrainian гі́лка, сук
  • гі́лка (hílka)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • сук (suk)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Vietnamese cành, ngành
  • cànhfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • ngànhfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • nhánhfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Welsh cangen, gwialen
  • cangenfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
  • gwialenfirm (and often larger) branch of a tree
Yiddish צווײַג
  • צווײַג (tsvayg)firm (and often larger) branch of a tree

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with bough

ournowhowlowallowrowthoubowsomehowciaodowpalauMacauLaotaotaugaopowowchowfraumaoanyhowslough
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

baobow (to bend oneself as a gesture of respect or deference)

Anagrams

Bugho
Cite this entry
APA

bough. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bough

MLA

“bough.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bough. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bough,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bough.

Source: bough on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.