Meanings
wough1
plural woughs · alternative waugh · alternative dialectal wogh · alternative dialectal woghe · alternative dialectal wau · alternative dialectal waw · alternative dialectal woa · alternative dialectal woh · alternative dialectal wo
- archaicdialectalobsoleteA wall.
wough2
- alternativeAlternative form of woof.
Bough wough, The watch dogs bark, Bough wough, Hark, hark!
1863, Various, The Children's Garland from the Best Poets2 more examples
As it scrambled swiftly over the edge it caught sight of the elephant and with a deep "wough!" charged straight at it.
1922, Gordon Casserly, The Jungle GirlThe trapper shouted and waved his cap; whereupon, to his amazement, the bear uttered a loud "wough" and charged straight down on him--only to fall a victim to misplaced boldness.
1884, Theodore Roosevelt, Hunting the Grisly and Other Sketches
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*waigaz“wall, structure”
- Proto-West Germanic*waig
- Old Englishwāh
- Middle Englishwough“wall”
- Englishwough
From Middle English wough (“wall”), from Old English wāh, wāg, wǣg (“interior wall, separating structure”), from Proto-West Germanic *waig, from Proto-West Germanic *waig, from Proto-Germanic *waigaz (“wall, structure”). Cognate with Scots wauch, waw (“wall”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
wough. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wough
“wough.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wough. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wough,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wough.
Source: wough on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.