Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

trough

/tɹɒf/ noun

In Latin: canālēs, alveus Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about trough at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A narrow depression (as in the earth or between ocean waves or in the ocean bed).
A channel along the eaves or on the roof; collects and carries away rainwater.
A concave shape with an open top.

Origin

PIE word *dóru From Middle English trogh, from Old English troh, trog (“a trough, tub, basin, vessel for containing liquids or other materials”), from Proto-West Germanic *trog, from Proto-Germanic *trugą, *trugaz, from Proto-Indo-European *drukós, enlargement of *dóru (“tree”). See also West Frisian trôch, Dutch trog, German Trog, Danish trug, Swedish tråg; also Middle Irish drochta (“wooden basin”), Old Armenian տարգալ (targal, “ladle, spoon”). More at tree.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word