Meanings
lough1
plural loughs
- IrelandA lake or long, narrow inlet, especially in Ireland.
Outside, a freezing wind whips across Belfast lough […].
2009 January 26, Henry McDonald, “It's got fancy flats, a hotel. Even a bank. But can the Titanic Quarter stay afloat?”, in The Guardian1 more example
A study showing that the temperature of the lough’s water has risen 1C since 1995, however, suggests that climate change and clearer waters as a result of an invasive zebra mussel species may also be contributing factors.
2023 August 23, Tommy Greene, “Lough Neagh ‘dying in plain sight’ due to vast algal blooms”, in The Guardian, →ISSNSynonyms: loch
lough2
Lough3
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA lake or long, narrow inlet, especially in Ireland.
Origin
lough · noun
- Proto-Indo-European*lókus“pond, pool”
- Proto-Celtic*loku“lake, pool”
- Old Irishloch
- Irishloch
- Englishlough
Borrowed from Irish loch (from Old Irish loch), from Proto-Celtic *loku (“lake, pool”), from Proto-Indo-European *lókus (“pond, pool”). Doublet of lay, loch, and Looe.
More words from Irish, Old Irish, Proto-Celtic
Full word history & related roots →lough · noun
- Proto-Celtic*lokus“lake, pool”
- Proto-Brythonic*lux
- Cumbric*luch
- Middle Englishlough
- Englishlough
From Middle English lough, logh, luh, borrowed from Cumbric *luch, derived from Proto-Brythonic *lux, from Proto-Celtic *lokus (“lake, pool”).
More words from Middle English, Cumbric, Proto-Brythonic
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with lough
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
lough. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lough
“lough.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lough. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lough,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lough.
Source: lough on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.