bough

[bou] /baʊ/

noun

a branch of a tree, especially one of the larger or main branches.

Origin

before 1000; Middle English bogh, Old English bōg, bōh shoulder, bough; cognate with Old Norse bōgr, Dutch boeg, German Bug, Greek pêchys, Sanskrit bāhu

Related forms

boughless, adjective

underbough, noun

Can be confused

bough, bow, branch (see synonym study at branch)

Synonyms

1. See branch.

Examples from the web for bough

Jeff slung the rope over a strong bough.
It catches its prey by springing down from the bough of a tree.
Among the floral offerings were a half-dozen white roses and a bough of holly.
Their first two years on the property, the Mahood family lived in a bough hut.
Reflected against the sun was a swinging, bough-trimmed tree.
Like a glitter-flecked bauble on a snow-flocked bough, this album plays up the holidays' sparkling side.
The hummingbird feeder hanging from its lowest bough.

British Dictionary definitions for bough

bough

/baʊ/

noun

any of the main branches of a tree

Word Origin

Old English bōg arm, twig; related to Old Norse bōgr shoulder, ship's bow, Old High German buog shoulder, Greek pēkhus forearm, Sanskrit bāhu; see bow³, elbow

Word Origin and History for bough

Old English bog "shoulder, arm," extended in Old English to "twig, branch" (cf. limb (n.1)), from Proto-Germanic *bogaz (cf. Old Norse bogr "shoulder," Old High German buog, German Bug "shoulder, hock, joint"), from PIE *bhagus "elbow, forearm" (cf. Sanskrit bahus "arm," Armenian bazuk, Greek pakhys "forearm"). The "limb of a tree" sense is peculiar to English.