▪ I. wough, n.1 Obs. exc. dial.
(wəʊ, wɔː)
Forms: α. 1–4 wah (5 Sc. wacht). β. 1 waᵹ, 4 wagh, wau; 1 (dat.) waᵹe, 3 waȝhe, wauȝe, 4 waghe, wawe; pl. 1 waᵹas, 3 waȝes, 4 waghis, 5 wawis, -es. γ. 4 woȝ (dat. woȝe, pl. woȝes), 4, 7–9 wogh, 5 woch, 8 woagh; 3–4 wouh, 4 wouȝ, woughe, 5, 8–9 wough. δ. 4–5 wowe, 4 wow; pl. 3–5 wowes (3 woawes), 5 wowen.
[OE. wáᵹ (also wǽᵹ), wáh, = OFris. wâch (W.Fris. weach, EFris. wôch, NFris. woch, wuch, ûch, etc.), related to Goth. waddjus, ON. veggr (see wig n.2).
The later Sc. waw, wa', and northern dial. waw, woa, wo', are normal phonetic developments of wall, and their wide currency indicates that they represent that word rather than this.]
1. A wall of a house; a partition.
| α c 888 ælfred Boeth. xxxvi. §7 Swa swa ælces huses wah bið fæst æᵹðer ᵹe on ðære flore ᵹe on ðæm hrofe. c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 288 Him ne wiðstent nan ðing, naðer ne stænen weall ne bryden wah. c 1200 Ormin 1015 An waȝherifft Wass spredd fra wah to waȝhe. c 1205 Lay. 25887 He nom þare halle wah [v.r. wað] and helden hine to grunde. a 1240 Sawles Warde in O.E. Hom. I. 247 Is eauer hire unþeaw forte sechen in-ȝong abute þe wahes to a murðrin hire þrinne. 13.. Cursor M. 23216 (Edin.) Paintid fire..þat apon a wah war wroht. a 1500 Bernardus de cura rei fam. (E.E.T.S.) 7 Quhile þa ly by þe wacht. |
| β Beowulf 1662 Þæt ic on waᵹe ᵹeseah wlitiᵹ hangian eald sweord eacen. c 893 ælfred Oros. v. xv. 250 He oft..sloᵹ mid his heafde on þone waᵹ. 971 Blickl. Hom. 151 Hie þa wurdon sona ablinde..& heora heafdu sloᵹan on þa waᵹas. c 1200 Ormin 6815 An waȝhe off Cristess kirrke. Ibid. 6825 Þatt hirnestan Þatt band ta tweȝȝen waȝhess. c 1205 Lay. 10182 Heo letten alle þa scrud at þere dure werpen vt, wascen þe waȝes [c 1275 wowes]. a 1300 Cursor M. 7667 Þe king þan hent a sper scarp To stair him thoru vnto þe wau [Gott. wawe; Fairf. wagh]. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 6619 A purtrayd fire on a waghe, Þat es paynted outher heghe or laghe. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 3222 Ȝit ware þe wawes of þe wanes,..Polischid all of pure gold. |
| γ c 1200 Vices & Virtues 95 Cariteð arist up fram ðe grundwalle, and beclepð all ðe wouh. c 1290 St. Dunstan 132 in S. Eng. Leg. 23 Þe harpe he heng vp bi þe wouh. a 1300 K. Horn 970 (Camb.) Þe se bigan to þroȝe Vnder hir woȝe. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 1144 Þys olde man was broght so logh Þat he lay ful colde besyde a wogh. 1340 Ayenb. 72 Betuene ham and paradys ne is bote a lyte woȝ. 1382 Wyclif Ps. lxi. 4 As to a boowid woughe, and to a ston wal put doun. c 1400 Destr. Troy 4773 In the castell..all was bare as a bast, to þe bigge woghes. c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. i. 785 Hym liketh best a daubed wough, and he Wol haue a wal of cley and stoon. a 1450 Mirk's Festial 181 An adyrcope..come of þe woch. 1674 Ray N.C. Words 54 A Wogh, a Wall, Lanc. 1703 Thoresby Let. to Ray, A Wogh, any Partition, whether of Boards or mud Walls, or Laths and Lime; as a Boardshed-woagh, studded wogh. c 1746 J. Collier (Tim Bobbin) View Lancs. Dial. Wks. (1862) 69, I crope under a Wough. 1847 Lytton Lucretia ii. xix, She lived agin the wogh yonder, where you see that gent coming out. |
| δ a 1225 Ancr. R. 172 Þauh hire licome beo wiðinnen þe uour woawes. a 1250 Owl & Night. 1528 Wowes west and lere huse. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 4272 Here mayst thou bettyr slepe a throwe Than sytte and loke vppon a wowe. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1531 In þe palays pryncipale vpon þe playn wowe. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 324 Ther was nothing hem betwene, Bot wow to wow and wall to wall. c 1400 Laud Troy Bk. 18388 Troye is doune & ouer-throwen, Tour & bour, walle & wowen. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 533/1 Wowe, wal [v.rr. wowe or wall], paries, murus. c 1450 Godstow Reg. 551, j. yerde bitwene the wowes. a 1470 H. Parker Dives & Pauper (W. de W. 1496) v. iii. 198/1 God lykeneth flaterers to theym that playstren & paynten walles and wowes without. |
2. Mining. The side of a vein.
| 1653 E. Manlove Liberties of Lead-Mines 234 If..woughs be strete, the Miner then may fire. Ibid. 259 Water holes, Wind holes, Veyns, Coe-shafts and Woughs. 1681 T. Houghton Rara Avis (E.D.S.) 44 Woughs, the walls or sides, sometimes of hard stone, and sometimes soft. 1836 R. Furness Astrologer i. Wks. (1858) 135 Where wough or rider, twitch'd a leading fast, There he was matchless at a tearing blast. |
3. Comb.: † wough-nail, wall-nail (wall n.1 25).
OE. wáᵹryft, -rift occurs in the Ormulum as waᵹherifft.
| 1331 in Topham Colleg. Chap. St. Stephen (1834) 67 Eidem pro 1000 de Wounail empt' pro quadam interclus' in dicta domo faciend'. c 1300 in Rogers Agric. & Prices I. 498 [On the Irish estates we find a kind of nail called] ‘woh’ or ‘wouwe-nails’. 1411 Ibid. III. 447 Wogh prig nails. |
▪ II. † wough, n.2 Obs.
Forms: α. 1–4 woh, 3 woch, 3 (5 Sc.) wocht, 4 woht. β. 1 (3) dat. wo (woo), 3–4 woȝ (4 woȝh), 3–5 wogh, 1 dat. woȝe, 3–4 woȝe (4 woȝhe), 3–5 woghe, 5 wothe. γ. 3 wou, 3–5 wow; 3–4 wouh (3 pl. wouhwes), wouȝ (5 wouȝh, wowȝ), 4 wough, 5 wugh, Sc. weuch; 5 wouche, wou-, wowȝe, woughe.
[OE. wóh (inflected wó-, wóᵹ-), neut. of wóh wough a. used as n.]
1. Wrong, evil; injury, harm.
| α c 893 ælfred Oros. vi. x. 264 Þa sæde him hiora an,..þæt he woh bude. c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Th.) xciii. 4 Hi..woh meldiað. c 1205 Lay. 11589 Þat wes swiðe muchel woh. c 1250 Death 261 in O.E. Misc. 184 Lete us hatie þat woh and luuie þat riȝte. c 1250 Orison 16 ibid. 160 Þu brohtest dai and eve niȝt, Heo broȝte woht, þu broȝtest riȝt. c 1300 Harrow. Hell (Harl.) 52 Mon haþ do me shome ynoh wyþ word ant dede in heore woh. |
| β c 888 ælfred Boeth. xl. §7 Englas..nanes wos [v.r. woᵹes] ne wilniað. c 897 ― Gregory's Past. C. xlv. 343 Hie..nyllað wietan mid hwelcum woo [v.r. wo] hie hit ᵹestriendon. c 924 Let. in Birch Cartul. II. 236 Ic him wolde fylstan to ryhte and næfre to nanan wo. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 165 Al riht is leid and wogh arered. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1550 Þus hym frayned þat fre, and fondet hym ofte, For to haf wonnen hym to woȝe. c 1350 Will. Palerne 554 For þat were swiche a woȝh þat neuer wolde be mended. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 2812 As me is wa for þi woȝe & þi wrange bathe. |
| γ a 1225 Ancr. R. 126 Wouh þet me mis-deð us, oðer of word oðer of werc. Ibid. 190 Wel is us nu, Louerd, uor þe dawes þet tu lowudest us mide oðre monnes wouhwes. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 7279 Of two þynges wakned hys wough. c 1320 Cast. Love 1117 Ȝif þou wole a-menden his wouȝ, Þou most deþ þolen þorw strong pyne I-nouȝ. a 1450 Le Morte Arth. 1333 Her hertes was full of sorow and woughe. |
2. In phrases: a. to do wough or work wough. Also const. to, on (a person) or with dat.
| (a) c 1205 Lay. 22456 Þat ne scal þe king woh don. a 1225 Ancr. R. 158 Vor þolemod is þe þet þuldeliche abereð wouh þet me deð him. a 1300 Cursor M. 15828 Wit þair bastons bete þai him And did him mikel wogh. 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 119 To William did he wouh, He did brenne Helwelle, & William broþer slouh. c 1400 Rowland & O. 119 For here schall no man do the woghe, till aughte dayes ben a-goo. |
| (b) 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 7687 Vor no mon ne durste him wiþsegge, he wroȝte muche wou. a 1300 Cursor M. 24340 (Edin.) To me his moder did þai þat mis, þat wroht on him þis woh. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 622 Þay laften ryȝt & wroȝten woghe. c 1470 Gol. & Gaw. 700 The wyis wroght vthir grete wandreth and weuch. Ibid. 1199 To wirk him wandreth or wough. c 1550 Hunt. Cheviot xxvi. in Child Ballads III. 308/2 He wrought hom both woo and wouche. |
b. to have wough: to be in the wrong.
| c 1205 Lay. 3327 Leiuedi þu haues mochel wouh. Ibid. 5043 Þu hauest woh & [he] haued riht. a 1225 Ancr. R. 54 Me leoue sire, þu hauest wouh. c 1275 Passion of Our Lord 332 in O.E. Misc. 46 Seye þu me soþ, Yf þu ert gywene kyng oþer hi habbeþ woh. c 1320 Sir Tristr. 1531 Þai seiȝen he hadde þe riȝt, Þe steward hadde þe wouȝ. c 1400 Solomon's Bk. Wisd. 284 Ac so wys clerk ne worþ þer non, Þat ne schal haue to don ynouȝ, fforto disputen aȝeins hym þeiȝ he haue þe wouȝ. |
c. mid wough or with wough: wrongfully. (OE. also on wóh.)
| c 885 ælfred's Will in Birch Cartul. II. 177 Þæt ic mine mæᵹecild oððe yldran oððe ᵹingran mid wo fordemde. c 960 Laws Edgar ii. iv, & se þe oðerne mid woᵹe forseggan wile, þæt he [etc.]. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 29 Þas ruperes and þas reueres þet nemeð oðres monnes eahte mid wohe. c 1205 Lay. 24811 Of Frolle þan kinge, þat þu mid woȝe at Paris asloȝe. a 1240 Lofsong in O.E. Hom. I. 205 Summe tide ich habbe iheued of oðer monnes mid woh. c 1290 Beket 1239 in S. Eng. Leg. 142 [They] tolden þe kinge of al þe wo þat seint thomas hadde with wouȝ. a 1300 Cursor M. 161 Herode kyng wit wogh For crist sak þe childer slogh. 13.. Guy Warw. 5080 Ich on of hem þat he toke, he slouȝ, Were it wiþ riȝt, were it wiþ wouȝ. [c 1300 Arth. & Merl. 4806 Wiþ gode riȝt & no wouȝ.] |
d. without(en) wough: truly.
| 13.. Guy Warw. 6876 Ich it seye, wiþouten wouȝ. c 1400 Merlin 1415 (Kölbing) Herkneþ alle, wiþ owte wouȝh, Y schal ȝow telle, why y louȝh. 14.. Sir Beues (S.) 2135 Certes, madame, with our wowȝ. c 1420 Chron. Vilod. 1172 Suche virtuose werkus he wolde welle do Fulle sotelyche w{supt}-owte ony wothe [rime bothe]. Ibid. 2100. c 1450 Le Morte Arth. 1638 Withe Syr mador, with-outen woughe, Full sone acordement gon they make. |
▪ III. wough, n.3
(wʊf)
Also Sc. wouch.
[Imitative. Cf. wuff.]
The bark of a dog or other animal.
| 1824 Mactaggart Gallovid. Encycl. 481 Wouch, the same with bouch, a dog's bark. 1850 Mayne Reid Rifle Rangers II. xxii. 200 The hound, with a short ‘wough’ dropped in upon his head. 1898 Longm. Mag. May 67 Little squirrels..have quite a large vocabulary,..a bark or wough when suddenly alarmed. |
▪ IV. † wough, a. Obs. (or dial.)
Forms: 1–4 woh (3 woþ), 4 wouȝ, 9 dial. oogh; pl. (etc.) 3 woȝe, woȝhe, wowe.
[OE. wóh (inflected wó-, wóᵹ-), of obscure origin. Hence wough n.2]
1. Crooked, bent.
| 862 Grant in Birch Cartul. II. 114 Ðanne fram langan leaᵹe to ðam won stocce. c 897 ælfred Gregory's Past C. xi. 67 Sio micle nosu & sio woo. a 1000 Laws æthelb xliv, Ᵹif muð oþþe eaᵹe woh weorðeþ. a 1100 Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 146/38 Diuortia, diuerticula, mistlice woᵹe weᵹas. a 1250 Owl & Night. 813 Þe fox..can paþes riȝte & woȝe. |
| 1866 J. E. Brogden Prov. Words Lincs. 141 The woodman said that the stuff was kind, but all I've seen was oogh inclined. |
2. Wrong, evil, bad. Also absol.
| Beowulf 1747 Wom wundorbebodum werᵹan gastes. c 888 ælfred Boeth. xxxviii. §3 Hit is woᵹ þæt hi mon læte unwitnode. a 1000 Riddles xl. 24 (Gr.) Woh wyrda ᵹesceapu. c 1200 Ormin 1375 Þær Cristess mennisscnesse Drannc dæþess drinnch o rodetreo forr ure woȝhe dedess. c 1205 Lay. 4333 Þat is woh & na wiht riht. a 1225 Ancr. R. 2 Wiðute knotte & dolke of woh inwit & of wreinde. c 1250 Owl & Night. 164 Schild þine svikeldom vram þe liȝte, & hud þat woȝe [v.r. wowe] among þe riȝte. c 1320 Sir Tristr. 1730 Her wening was al wouȝ, Vntroweand til hem to. a 1400 Octouian (Weber) 1050 Florentyn naȝt forsok hyt, Þey hyt wer woȝ. |
▪ V. † wough, int. Obs.—1
= waugh, wow.
| a 1553 Udall Royster D. iii. iv. (Arb.) 52 Wough, she is gone for euer, I shall hir no more see. |