Origin of cough

1275–1325; Middle English coghen, apparently < Old English *cohhian (compare its derivative cohhettan to cough); akin to Dutch kuchen to cough, German keuchen to wheeze

OTHER WORDS FROM cough

cough·er, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cough

cough cuff koph

Words nearby cough

coudé telescope, couette flow, cougan, cougar, cougar bait, cough, cough drop, cough mixture, cough reflex, cough syrup, cough up

Words related to cough up

refund, settle, handle, extend, grant, reimburse, offer, disburse, repay, compensate, meet, present, use, waste, consume, give, invest, contribute, expend, employ

British Dictionary definitions for cough up (1 of 2)

cough up

verb (adverb)

informal to surrender (money, information, etc), esp reluctantly
(tr) to bring into the mouth or eject (phlegm, food, etc) by coughing

British Dictionary definitions for cough up (2 of 2)

cough
/ (kɒf) /

verb

(intr) to expel air or solid matter from the lungs abruptly and explosively through the partially closed vocal chords
(intr) to make a sound similar to this
(tr) to utter or express with a cough or coughs
(intr) slang to confess to a crime

noun

an act, instance, or sound of coughing
a condition of the lungs or throat that causes frequent coughing

Derived forms of cough

cougher, noun

Word Origin for cough

Old English cohhetten; related to Middle Dutch kochen, Middle High German kūchen to wheeze; probably of imitative origin

Medical definitions for cough up

cough
[ kôf ]

v.

To expel air from the lungs suddenly and noisily, often to keep the respiratory passages free of irritating material.

n.

The act of coughing.
An illness marked by frequent coughing.

Scientific definitions for cough up

cough
[ kôf, kŏf ]

The act of expelling air from the lungs suddenly and noisily, often to keep the respiratory passages free of irritating material.

Idioms and Phrases with cough up

cough up
1

Hand over or relinquish, especially money; pay up. For example, It's time the delinquent members coughed up their dues. [Slang; late 1800s]

2

Confess or divulge, as in Pretty soon she'd cough up the whole story about last night. This idiom transfers the act of vomiting to telling the entire truth. [Slang; late 1800s]