sough
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sough¹
- /saʊ/
- /sʌf/
Sounds like sow (noun, with /aʊ/) · Rhymes with -aʊ, -ʌf
Where it comes from
From Middle English *sough, swough, swogh, from Middle English swoȝen, swowen, from Old English swōgan (“to make a sound; move with noise; rush; roar”), from Proto-West Germanic *swōgan, from Proto-Germanic *swōganą from Proto-Indo-European *sweh₂gʰ-, same source as English echo (via Ancient Greek). Cognate with Scots souch (“sough”), Icelandic súgur (“a rushing sound, rustle”). Noun replaced Middle English swei, sweȝ from Old English swēg. More at swoon.
verb soughs · soughing · soughed
- To make a soft rustling or murmuring sound. The great train snaked on through the dark, pounding out the miles through the empty plains and mingy hamlets of Georgia, the 'Peach State', the angry moan of its four-toned wind-horn soughing over the wide savannah and the long shaft of its single searchlight ripping the black calico of the night.
Similar: breathe, moan, murmur, purl, rustle, sigh, susurrate, sough, swish, swough, whisper, whoosh · Opposite: blare, boom, clang, peal, roar, thunder
noun soughs
- A murmuring sound; rushing, rustling, or whistling sound. [...] Arthur; a fearful night it was: there was a sough in the air, a sound drawing nigh like that of a host marching:- — but you're looking pale and forwrought, man; is any thing ailing ye?
- A gentle breeze; a waft; a breath.
- A (deep) sigh.
- A vague rumour.
- A cant or whining mode of speaking, especially in preaching or praying.
sough²
- /sʌf/
- /saʊ/
Sounds like sow (noun, with /aʊ/) · Rhymes with -ʌf, -aʊ
Where it comes from
From Middle English sough (whence also Scots sheuch (“ditch”)), from Old English *sōh, ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *sīk (“watercourse”); compare dialectal Dutch zoeg (“ditch”), and English sitch.
noun soughs
- A small drain; an adit.
Sough³
proper noun
- A hamlet in Kelbrook and Sough parish, Pendle borough, Lancashire, England (OS grid ref SD9045).
Thesaurus
Translations
Talk about this word "sough." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sough. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. sough. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sough "sough." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sough.Cite this
@misc{sough_2026,
title = {sough},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sough},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
