sough

¹

[ sou, suhf ]

verb (used without object)

1. to make a rushing, rustling, or murmuring sound:

   the wind soughing in the meadow.

2. Scot. and North England. to speak, especially to preach, in a whining, singsong voice.

noun

1. a sighing, rustling, or murmuring sound.
2. Scot. and North England.
   1. a sigh or deep breath.
   2. a whining, singsong manner of speaking.
   3. a rumor; unconfirmed report.

sough

²

[ suhf, sou ]

noun

1. a drain, drainage ditch, gutter, or sewer.
2. a swampy or marshy area; slough.

verb (used with object)

1. to drain (land or a mine) by building drainage ditches or the like.

sough

¹

/ sʌf /

noun

1. dialect.
   a sewer or drain or an outlet channel

sough

²

/ saʊ /

verb

1. intr (esp of the wind) to make a characteristic sighing sound

noun

1. a soft continuous murmuring sound

Other Words From

• soughful·ly adverb
• soughless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sough¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English verb swoughen “to throw,” Old English swōgan “to move with sound, make a noise”; cognate with Old Saxon swōgan, Old English swēgan “to move noisily,” Gothic -swōgjan; the noun is derivative of the verb

Origin of sough²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English sough, sou(e); further origin obscure; compare Dutch dialect zoeg “little ditch”

Word History and Origins

Origin of sough¹

of obscure origin

Origin of sough²

Old English swōgan to resound; related to Gothic gaswogjan to groan, Lithuanian svageti to sound, Latin vāgīre to lament

Example Sentences

Jafari sough the person’s help to get work in the county and paid the person between $1,000 and $1,500 in cash, prosecutors said.

From Seattle Times

Ultimately, when large depositors sough to withdraw more than $40 billion in a single day, the bank couldn’t pay out the funds.

From Seattle Times

The administration could have sough a legal stay, said Brettny Hardy, a senior attorney with Earthjustice, and the Interior Department could also have offered a much smaller slice of the Gulf for lease.

From Washington Post

In the suit, Wagoner sough a hefty chunk of Parton's income over the course of several years.

From Fox News

The soundtrack soughs and swells in step with the slowly moving cameras, occasionally giving way to the music of wind, water and birdsong.

From New York Times