Meanings
plural choughs
- Any member of either of two species of the genus Pyrrhocorax of birds in the crow family (Corvidae), that breed mainly in high mountains and on coastal sea cliffs of Eurasia.
For parot is no churlish Chowgh / nor no f[l]ekyd pye
c. 1521, John Skelton, Speke Parrot, lines 205–2101 more example
And had not the old-man come in vvith a VVhoo-bub againſt his Daughter, and the Kings Sonne, and ſcar'd my Chovvghes from the Chaffe, I had not left a Purſe aliue in the vvhole Army.
c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv], page 296, column 2 - A white-winged chough Corcorax melanorhamphos in the Australian mud-nest builders family (Corcoracidae), that inhabits dry woodlands.
Synonyms: hermit-crow
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA white-winged chough Corcorax melanorhamphos in the Australian mud-nest builders family (Corcoracidae), that inhabits dry woodlands.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*gewH-“to crow, caw, shout”
- Proto-West Germanic*kahu“jackdaw, crow”
- Old Englishċēo“a bird of the genus Corvus, a jay, crow, jackdaw, chough”
- Middle Englishchoughe
- Englishchough
From Middle English choughe, choȝe, coo, cheo, from Old English ċēo (“a bird of the genus Corvus, a jay, crow, jackdaw, chough”) and ċeahhe (“a daw”), both from Proto-West Germanic *kahu (“jackdaw, crow”), from imitative Proto-Indo-European *gewH- (“to crow, caw, shout”). Cognate with Scots kae (“jackdaw”), West Frisian ka (“jackdaw”), Dutch kauw (“jackdaw, daw, chough”), Swedish kaja (“jackdaw”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian червенокрака гарга
- червенокрака гарга (červenokraka garga)bird of Pyrrhocorax
Chinese Mandarin 山鴉 /山鸦
- 山鴉 /山鸦 (shānyā)bird of Pyrrhocorax
Czech kavče
- kavčebird of Pyrrhocorax
Dutch alpenkauw, alpenkraai
- alpenkauwbird of Pyrrhocorax
- alpenkraaibird of Pyrrhocorax
Esperanto pirokorako
- pirokorakobird of Pyrrhocorax
Finnish alppivaris, mutavaris
- alppivarisbird of Pyrrhocorax
- mutavariswhite-winged chough
French crave
- cravebird of Pyrrhocorax
German Bergkrähe
- Bergkrähebird of Pyrrhocorax
Hungarian csóka
- csókabird of Pyrrhocorax
Irish cág cosdearg
- cág cosdeargbird of Pyrrhocorax
Italian gracchio
- gracchiobird of Pyrrhocorax
Persian زاغ
- زاغ (zâġ)bird of Pyrrhocorax
Polish wrończyk, skałowron
- wrończykbird of Pyrrhocorax
- skałowronwhite-winged chough
Portuguese gralha
- gralhabird of Pyrrhocorax
Russian клу́шица
- клу́шица (klúšica)bird of Pyrrhocorax
Scottish Gaelic cathag dhearg-chasach, cathag nan casan dearg
- cathag dhearg-chasachbird of Pyrrhocorax
- cathag nan casan deargbird of Pyrrhocorax
Spanish chova
- chovabird of Pyrrhocorax
Swedish alpkråkor, alpkaja
- alpkråkorbird of Pyrrhocorax
- alpkajabird of Pyrrhocorax
- alpkråkabird of Pyrrhocorax
Welsh brân Gernyw, brân goesgoch
- brân Gernywbird of Pyrrhocorax
- brân goesgochbird of Pyrrhocorax
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with chough
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
chough. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chough
“chough.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chough. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chough,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chough.
Source: chough on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.