lough
nounUK /lɒf/
Etymology From Middle English lough, logh, luh, borrowed from Cumbric *luch, derived from Proto-Brythonic *lux, from Proto-Celtic *lokus (“lake, pool”).
1
Cumbria, Northumbria lake, pool
lough
nounUK /lɒk/ · US /lɑk/
Etymology Borrowed from Irish loch (from Old Irish loch), from Proto-Celtic *loku (“lake, pool”), from Proto-Indo-European *lókus (“pond, pool”). Doublet of lay, loch, and Looe.
1
Ireland A lake or long, narrow inlet, especially in Ireland.
- Outside, a freezing wind whips across Belfast lough […].2009 January 26, Henry McDonald, “It's got fancy flats, a hotel. Even a bank. But can the Titanic Quarter stay afloat?”, in The Guardian:
- A study showing that the temperature of the lough’s water has risen 1C since 1995, however, suggests that climate change and clearer waters as a result of an invasive zebra mussel species may also be contributing factors.2023 August 23, Tommy Greene, “Lough Neagh ‘dying in plain sight’ due to vast algal blooms”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
- Synonyms
- loch
- Derived terms
- Lough Allen, Lough Erne, Lough Foyle, Lough Gill, Lough Neagh, Lough Swilly, Strangford Lough