sough
Definitions
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- noun A murmuring sound; a rushing or whistling sound, like that of the wind; a deep sigh.
- noun A gentle breeze; a waft; a breath.
- noun Any rumor that engages general attention.
- noun A cant or whining mode of speaking, especially in preaching or praying; the chant or recitative characteristic of the old Presbyterians in Scotland.
- verb To make a rushing, whistling, or sighing sound; emit a hollow murmur; murmur or sigh like the wind.
- verb To breathe in or as in sleep.
- verb To utter in a whining or monotonous tone.
Examples
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The word sough, now pronounced suff, was formerly called sow; whence the iron fused and received into a sough acquired the name of sowmetal; and that received into less soughs from the former one obtained the name of pigs of iron or of lead; from the pun on the word sough, into sow and pigs.
The Temple of Nature; or, the Origin of Society A Poem, with Philosophical Notes
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Over and over the same round his thoughts went, till, worn out with anxiety and watching, and lulled unconsciously by the soft 'sough' of the wind in the pines, he fell asleep.
Note
According to the OED, from the 16th century, this word is 'almost exclusively Scots and northern dialect until adopted in general literary use in the 19th.'
