clough

== English == === Etymology 1 === From Middle English clough, clow, cloȝ, from Old English *clōh, from Proto-West Germanic *klą̄h (“cleft, sluice, abyss”), of uncertain origin, possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to form into a ball”). Cognate with Scots cleuch (“gorge; ravine”), Old High German klāh (in placenames), Old High German klingo, klinga (“brook, cataract, gulf, rapids”). Perhaps conflated or influenced by Old Norse klofi (“a cleft or rift in a hill, ravine”); compare Dutch kloof (“a slit, crevice, chink”). See also cling, clove. ==== Alternative forms ==== cleugh, cleuch (Scotland) cleugh (Northumbria, Cumbria) ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /klʌf/, /klaʊ/ Rhymes: -ʌf, -aʊ ==== Noun ==== clough (plural cloughs) (Northern England, US) A narrow valley; a cleft in a hillside; a ravine, glen, or gorge. A sluice used in returning water to a channel after depositing its sediment on the flooded land. (dialectal) The cleft or fork of a tree; crotch. (dialectal) A wood; weald. ===== Derived terms ===== Howden Clough === Etymology 2 === ==== Noun ==== clough (plural cloughs) (historical) Alternative form of cloff (“allowance of two pounds in every three hundredweight”). ==== References ==== Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “clough”, in Online Etymology Dictionary. “clough”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. == Middle English == === Alternative forms === cleu, clew, cloghe, cloȝ, clou, clouȝ, clow, clowgh === Etymology === From Old English *clōh, from Proto-West Germanic *klą̄h, possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to form into a ball”). gmw-pro|*kląh|t=cleft, sluice, abyss === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /kluːx/ === Noun === clough (plural cloughes) A narrow valley; a ravine. A cliff; a precipice. ==== Descendants ==== English: clough Geordie: cleugh Scots: cleuch ==== References ==== “clǒugh, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.