troughn.
/trɒf/, /trɔːf/, U.S. /trɔf/, /trɑf/ 1.
a. A narrow open box-like vessel, of V-shaped or curved section, made of wood, stone, metal, or earthenware, and often a fixture, to contain liquid; esp. a drinking-vessel for domestic animals; also, a tank or vat used for washing, kneading, brewing, tanning, fulling, and various other purposes. (Often with prefix, as drinking-, hog-, horse-, kneading-, pig-, water-trough, etc.: see the first element.)
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > vessel > open vessels for liquids > [noun] > trough
troughc725
launder1671
α.
β. 1545 G. Joye Expos. Daniel (iv.) f. 56 The vnthrifty sone..at last was compelled to come to the hoggis troffe for hunger.1574 N. Daniel in Grosart Spenser's Wks. I. 422 A pulpitt, many swynes troofe better.1620 Inv. in Essex Rev. (1907) XVI. 206 A payer of Quarnes, a kneedinge trof, and shellves 2s.1626 Inv. in Essex Rev. (1906) XV. 67 One knedinge trofe.1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory (1905) iii. xx. 246/2 A Tallow Trough, and of some termed a Trouff, it is to let the Tallow in working drop or run into it.γ. c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 503/2 Throwhe, vessel (K., S. trow, P. trough), alveus.a1539 in J. C. Atkinson Cartularium Abbathiae de Rievalle (1889) 340 The Bruehouse vi kelynge throuhs of lede, ii coper vesselles.1560 Aberdeen Regr. (1844) 329 Lawaris and throchtis of brass.a1660 Aphorismical Discov. in J. T. Gilbert Contemp. Hist. Ireland (1879) I. 254 Some..burned the through, broke the kievve, demolished the house.c725 Corpus Gloss. (O.E.T.) 425 Canthera, trog.
a800 Erfurt Gloss. 1140 Albeus (v), genus vasis, trog.
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. John xiii. 5 Soðða sende þat uæter in trog and ongann geðoa foet ðara ðegna.
c1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 68 Do on troh hate stanas.
c1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 326 gecnua ealle wel, lege on hatne stan on troge, geot hwon wæteres on.
11.. Rec. Gifts of Adeluuold (963–84) in Birch Cart. Sax. III. 367 vi bidenfate & ii cuflas & þry trogas & lead & trefet.
c1325 Gloss. W. de Bibbesw. in Wright Voc. 155 De un rastuer, a douwribbe, le auge, a trow.
1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Gen. xxiv. 20 She, heldynge out the water pot into the water trowis,..ȝaue to alle the camelis.
c1386 G. Chaucer Reeve's Tale 123 Thanne wil I be bynethe..And se how þat the Mele falles doun In to the trough [v.rr. trogh, trow, troughe].
a1425 Edward, Duke of York Master of Game (Digby) xxxiii Þe trowegh fillede with clene water.
c1460 in C. Innes Registrum Episcopatus Aberdonensis (1845) II. 85 In brasina vnum plumbum cum cuppa que dicitur Masfate vel caldarium. et algeam que dicitur le trovch.
1485 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 51 Moldyng trowghes [for leaden shot].
c1500 King & Hermit in M. M. Furrow Ten 15th-cent. Comic Poems (1985) 267 Tyll two trowys he gan hym lede: Off venyson þer was many a brede.
c1503 R. Arnold Chron. f. lxxij/2 Take iij. C. weight orchell drye grounde & doo it in a trouthe.
1535 Aberdeen Regr. XV. (Jam.) Ane troycht & tua aiking buyrdis.
1536 Abstr. Protocols Town Clerks Glasgow (1897) IV. 87 Ane lyme trowcht.
1546 in W. Page Inventories Church Goods York, Durham & Northumberland (1897) 132 One stone troght.
1568 (a1500) Freiris Berwik 206 in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS (1930) IV. 267 Hyd ȝou..In to ȝone troich... It held a boll of meill quhen þat we buke.
1583 in T. P. Wadley Notes Wills Orphan Bk. Bristol (1886) 234 My howse wch I [a tanner] nowe dwell in wth vates and trowes.
1632 in E. B. Jupp Carpenters' Co. (1848) 301 All manner of traughts for Bakers.
1711 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 25 Mar. (1948) I. 224 We have let Guiscard be buried at last, after shewing him pickled in a trough this fortnight for two pence apiece.
1789 H. L. Piozzi Observ. Journey France I. 245 The old original trough at the corner of the road.
1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 534 In troughs of water mixed with fuller's earth.
1859 G. Meredith Juggling Jerry x You shan't beg from the troughs and tubs.
b. A small vessel of similar shape used in chemistry, photography, microscopy, etc.
ΚΠ
1813 J. M. Good et al. Pantologia (at cited word) In [operations with] gasses absorbable by water the trough must be filled..with mercury.
1823 W. Henry Elements Exper. Chem. (ed. 9) I. i. 21 Place the jar filled with water and inverted, over one of the funnels of the shelf of the pneumatic trough.
1827 M. Faraday Chem. Manip. i. 20 The mercurial trough.
1832 D. Brewster Lett. Nat. Magic iv. 79 A trough having two of its sides parallel, and made of plate glass.
1853 W. Gregory Inorg. Chem. (ed. 3) 68 Closing the tube with the finger, and inverting it, with the open end under water in a basin or trough.
c. figurative. In contempt, A person who is a mere receptacle for liquor; a toper.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > excess in drinking > [noun] > one who drinks to excess
houndOE
drinkerc1200
keach-cup?c1225
gulchcupa1250
bollerc1320
taverner1340
ale stake?1515
wine-bibber1535
bibber1536
swill-bowl1542
malt-wormc1550
rinse-pitcher1552
bibblera1556
ale knight1556
tosspot1568
ring-pigger1570
troll-the-bowl1575
malt-bug1577
gossip-pint-pot1580
black pot1582
alehouse knight1583
worrier1584
suck-spigot1585
bezzle1592
bezzlera1593
cup-leech1593
soaker1593
carouser1596
barley-cap1598
swiller1598
rob-pot1599
Philistine1600
sponge1600
wine-knight1601
fill-knaga1605
reel-pot1604
faithful1609
fill-pot1609
bouser1611
spigot-sucker1611
suck-pint1611
whip-can1611
bib-all-night1612
afternoon man1615
potling1616
Bacchanalian1617
bombard1617
pot-shot1617
potisuge1620
trougha1625
tumbrila1625
borachioa1627
pot-leech1630
kill-pota1637
biberon1637
bang-pitcher1639
son of Bacchusc1640
shuffler1642
suck-bottlea1652
swill-pot1653
poter1657
potatora1660
old soaker1665
fuddle cap1666
old toast1668
bubber1669
toper1673
ale-toast1691
Bacchant1699
fuddler1699
swill-belly1699
tickle-pitcher1699
whetter1709
draughtsmanc1720
bender1728
drammer1740
dram-drinker1744
drammist1756
rum-bud1805
siper1805
Bacchanal1812
boozera1819
rum-sucker1819
soak1820
imp of the spigot1821
polyposist1821
wineskin1821
sack-guzzler1823
sitfast1828
swill-flagon1829
cup-man1834
swiper1836
Lushington1851
lushing-man1859
bloat1860
pottle pot1860
tipsificator1873
tipsifier1873
pegger1874
swizzler1876
bibulant1883
toss-cup1883
lusher1895
stew-bum1902
shicker1906
stiff1907
souse1915
booze-hound1926
stumblebum1932
tanker1932
lush-hound1935
lushy1944
lush-head1945
binge drinker1946
pisshead1946
hophead1948
a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Captaine iv. iii, in Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Hh4v/2 This drunken trowgh has kill'd him.
1899 J. Lumsden Edinb. Poems & Songs 131 A thae trochs are drucken slochs.
d. figurative. A place where food is provided, spec. a dining table; hence, a meal. colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > eating place > [noun]
meat place?c1475
trough1901
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] > dining table
meat-boardc1275
tablec1330
meat-table1381
dining table1553
board1606
dinner table1785
mahogany1837
trough1930
the world > food and drink > food > meal > [noun]
mealeOE
meatshiplOE
meal of meatc1330
meal's meatc1330
refectiona1425
eating1483
mealtide1485
repasc1485
sustenancea1500
breakfast1526
repast1530
recreation1538
cooking1804
eat1844
scoff1846
grub1857
khana1859
meetsuk1896
nosh1964
trough1981
1901 ‘H. McHugh’ John Henry 95 We left the mob just as all hands were paddling off to the ice-cream trough.
1915 F. M. Hueffer Good Soldier i. iii. 38 Why shouldn't we all eat out of the same trough—that's a nasty New York saying.
1930 P. G. Wodehouse Very Good, Jeeves iv. 96 The Bellinger..had sung us a few songs before digging in at the trough.
1965 New Statesman 14 May 777/1 Things are a bit different at the old trough these days.
1981 ‘M. Innes’ Lord Mullion's Secret viii. 68 If he didn't stir his stumps he would be late for the trough.
e. In various figurative phrases applied to a ready source of income, esp. one shared by unscrupulous persons. colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > income, revenue, or profit > [noun] > source of
revenue?a1439
revenuable1610
sponge1625
plum tree1893
trough1906
cash cow1975
1906 J. London Let. 20 Oct. (1966) 212 All I can tell you is, that you've got your feet in the trough.
1971 P. Tamony Americanisms (typescript) No. 28. 2 Local pimps and fast-buck boys who had hustled to the troughs for fat-staff salaries.
1974 L. Deighton Spy Story iv. 47 I'm going to find out what it's costing. We can't go on eating our heads off at the public trough.
1981 J. D. MacDonald Free Fall in Crimson xvi. 186 The money would come..to Josie, and you would be able to stay in the trough.
2. In spec. uses:
a. An oblong vessel containing the water in which a grindstone runs; also transferred the stone itself, or the place where it stands; a workman's compartment in a grindery.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > shaping tools or equipment > [noun] > polishing or sharpening > trough in which grindstone runs
trough1725
society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > vessel > open vessels for liquids > [noun] > trough > in technical use
trough1725
1725 T. Thomas in Portland Papers VI. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) 144 Most of their wheels and troughs (as they call those places where these grindstones are).
1743 in H. S. Wyndham Ann. Cov. Gard. Theatre (1906) II. 312 A grind~stone handle and trough.
1839 S. Roberts Tom & Charles in Yorkshire Tales 130 The building itself is generally the property of one person, but he lets off, to different grinders, what are denominated the Troughs, or the parts in which each grinding-stone is fixed.
1884 W. H. Rideing in Harper's Mag. June 79/1 The lower part of the stones touches a long vessel containing water, and by a technical peculiarity each stone is called a ‘trough’.
1892 Labour Commission Gloss. (at cited word) It is customary to speak of the trough not only as the actual vessel..but as..the portion of the room containing the trough. In this sense.. local.
b. An oblong box with divisions serving as the cells of a voltaic battery; also short for trough battery n. at Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > galvanism, voltaism > voltaic or galvanic battery > [noun]
electric battery1774
pile1800
battery1801
trough1806
voltaic battery1812
voltaic pile1812
magnetomotor1823
trough battery1841
gas battery1843
gravity battery1870
sand-battery1873
Bunsen battery1879
gravitation battery1883
magazine batterya1884
perfluent batterya1884
1806 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 15 150 Having constructed a very powerful Galvanic trough, I have tried its effects..with very satisfactory results.
1806 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 15 153 My trough contains about 1280 square inches of metallic surface; at first I did not use above four or five pair of plates.
1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 277 This apparatus..combines the principle of the battery with glasses and that of the common trough.
1866 R. M. Ferguson Electricity 132 The inner surface of the trough is coated with an insulating substance.
c. Mining. (a) An oblong tank in which ores are washed; a rocker or buddle; (b) A passage cut through a wall or pillar of coal: = thirling n.1 2 ( Cent. Dict. Suppl. 1909).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > equipment for treating ores > [noun] > for washing ore > pit or trough
washing-trough1557
wash-trough1557
launder1671
strake1758
riffler1839
trough1877
1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Trough.., a frame, vat, buddle, or rocker in which ores or slimes are washed and sorted.
d. See quot. 1877.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > metalworking equipment > [noun] > plating equipment
pan1839
washpot1839
plating bath1866
trough1877
branner1902
1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Trough,..the tray or vat containing the metallic solution used in electro-plating.
e. Typography. A metal-lined box in which stones, inking-rollers, and forms are washed.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > printing > miscellaneous printers' equipment > [noun] > box for washing equipment in
trough1891
1891 in Cent. Dict.
1892 Labour Commission Gloss. (at cited word) A trough in the printing industry is a box, lined with lead, with pieces of wood laid across for stones to rest on; the water runs off from the stone into the trough.
3. †A small primitive boat; sometimes apparently a canoe hollowed out of a solid block of wood (obsolete); also locally applied to various kinds of boats or barges: see trow n.2
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > vessel of specific construction or shape > vessels of primitive construction > [noun] > canoe of indigenous peoples > dug-out
troughc893
cot1537
monoxylon1555
toni1582
piragua1599
pitpan1726
log-canoe1752
monoxyle1775
corial1796
dugout1819
montaria1853
lakatoi1885
mokoro1897
doonga1905
curiara1910
c893 tr. Orosius Hist. ii. v. §6 He eft wæs biddende anes lytles troges æt anum earman men.
1531–2 Act 23 Hen. VIII c. 12 §1 Their troughes barges botes and other vessells passing..on the said River of Severne.
1570 P. Levens Manipulus Vocabulorum sig. Rivv/2 A Trough, bote, linter.
1574 R. Eden tr. Taisner De Natura Magnetis Ded. If none had proceeded further then the inuentions of our predecessors, we..had yet haue sayled in troughes or in boates.
1589 R. Tomson in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations iii. 587 A great caue, or ditch of water..where come euery morning at the breake of the day, 20. or 30. Canoas, or troughes of the Indians.
1633 T. Stafford Pacata Hibernia iii. xvii. 364 No boats nor troughs to passe them over into Connaght.
1869 Pall Mall Gaz. 21 Sept. 6 In Weymouth Bay..Four fishermen went out in a boat known as a ‘trough’, a little flat-bottomed craft, to fish for herrings.
4. † b. Apparently confused with through n.1 3, a flat gravestone. Obsolete.
a. A stone tomb or coffin. Cf. through n.1 2. Now dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > disposal of corpse > receptacle for remains > [noun] > coffin > stone coffin
gravestonea1225
kista1400
trougha1513
sarcophagus1619
sarcophage1623
coffin-tomb1727
cist1804
stone cist1888
stone kist1926
the world > life > death > disposal of corpse > burial > grave or burial-place > types of tomb > [noun] > stone or marble
marble?a1400
trougha1513
a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. ccxiii. f. cxxxiiiv That ye may kepe my body from tourment, Sewe it in an harles Skynne, and laye it in a troughe of stone and hyll it with lede close and Iuste [cf. quot. c1400 at through n.1 2β. ].
1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 486 A little trough or coffin, very cunningly and finely wrought of marble.
a1682 Sir T. Browne Certain Misc. Tracts (1683) ix. 155 In one of the Mounts..there were found three Troughs, containing broken Bones.
1876 C. C. Robinson Gloss. Words Dial. Mid-Yorks. Trough.., a coffin, of old shape; a stone cistern.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > disposal of corpse > burial > grave or burial-place > [noun] > stone covering grave
stone1303
gravestone1387
through-stonea1400
througha1425
burial-stone?a1500
trough1501
ledgerc1510
tombstone?1520
lair-stone1538
humeta1647
plank1660
ledger-stone1851
flatstone1855
grave-cover1875
hogback1889
1501 in S. Tymms Wills & Inventories Bury St. Edmunds (1850) 83 Also I wyll that the tabernacle of Seynt Jamys..and the troues of the auter ther by, be well and suffyciently peyntyd.
1588 in F. Collins Wills & Admin. Knaresborough Court Rolls (1902) I. 163 My bodye to be buryed in Fuiston churche yeard under my grandfather trough.
5. A channel, pipe, or trunk for conveying water; a conduit; a gutter fixed under the eaves of a building; Scottish (plural) the channel conducting the water to a mill-wheel. Now dialect (usually trow).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > stream > [noun] > channel for conveyance of water
water leatOE
water lade1224
leat1279
watergang1293
sow1316
trough1398
wissinga1400
lanec1420
waterway1431
water leasow1440
watercoursea1450
fleam1523
lead1541
cut1548
aqueducta1552
lake1559
strand1565
race1570
channel1581
watergauge1597
gout1598
server1610
carriage1669
runnel1669
aquage1706
shoot1707
tewel1725
run1761
penstock1763
hulve1764
way-gang1766
culvert1774
flume1784
shute1790
pentrough1793
raceway1793
water carriage1793
carrier1794
conductor1796
water carrier1827
penchute1875
chute1878
by-cut1883
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum xvii. cxxi. (Tollem. MS.) Trowes and condites made of pine tre, and leyde deep under erþe dureþ many ȝeres.
1554 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1871) II. 309 The beitting and mending of the fyve Commoun Mylnis, making of thair haill watter wallis, scheitts and trouchtis.
1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus Fardle of Facions Pref. 10 By conduicte of pipes and troughes, and such other conueyance.
1678 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Trough,..a hollow thing made of Boards, and lying open for the Conveyance of Water.
1789 A. Young Jrnl. 16 July in Trav. France (1792) i. 137 All the houses at Nancy have tin eave troughs and pipes.
1808–18 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Trow, the wooden spout in which water is carried to a mill-wheel.
1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Trows s. pl., properly..the troughs which conduct the water to the mill-wheel.
1881 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 1880–1 9 188 Trow, a wooden channel for air or water.
1901 Remin. Dollar Acad. 112 He washed himself..in the small lade or ‘trows’ which conveyed the water from the burn at the bleaching-green.
6.
a. A hollow or valley resembling a trough; the bed or channel of a stream, or the depressed tract through which it flows; spec. in Geology a basin-shaped depression, a syncline (longer than broad).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > low land > hollow or depression > [noun]
pathOE
slackc1400
navela1425
trough1513
nook1555
falling1565
swale1584
hella1653
depression1665
holl1701
sag1727
dip1783
recession1799
holler1845
sike1859
sitch1888
sulcus1901
the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > stream > [noun] > watercourse or channel
runeOE
sitchOE
pipeOE
sichetc1133
guttera1300
siket1300
sikec1330
watergate1368
gole?a1400
gotea1400
flout14..
aa1430
trough1513
guta1552
race1570
lode1572
canala1576
ditch1589
trink1592
leam1601
dike1616
runlet1630
stell1651
nullah1656
course1665
drain1700
lade1706
droke1772
regimen1797
draught1807
adit1808
sluit1818
thalweg1831
runway1874
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid ix. i. 76 Lyke as sum tyme Ganges, the flude Indane,..In hys deip trowch now flowis esely.
1719 W. Hamilton Epist. to Ramsay 24 July xvii Mony a lang and weary wimple, Like trough of Clyde.
1796 W. Marshall Rural Econ. W. Eng. II. 174 Mountain heights..partially severed, by deep rich Vallies or ‘Troughs’—as they are called.
1819 J. G. Lockhart Peter's Lett. to Kinsfolk III. lxxiv. 299 The whole valley, or strath, or trough of the Clyde.
1854 R. I. Murchison Siluria viii. 155 These schists and limestones are overlain in the contiguous troughs by other rocks.
1862 W. Cory Lett. & Jrnls. (1897) 78 The long troughs of woodland where the deer and the streamlets wander.
1883 Good Words July 438/2 It is therefore a question how far the ocean troughs may have the antiquity assigned to them.
b. In full trough of the sea, the hollow on the surface between two waves. Also figurative, esp. as in a (or the) trough.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > wave > [noun] > trough
sulka1586
valleya1616
trougha1625
the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > [adjective]
ungladc888
wearyc888
drearyc1000
dreary-moodOE
heavyc1000
unmerryOE
droopy?c1225
mournc1275
sada1300
languishinga1325
amayedc1330
matec1330
unlightc1330
unblissful1340
lowa1382
mishappyc1390
dullc1393
elengely1393
droopinga1400
heavy-hearteda1400
joylessa1400
sytefula1400
mornifc1400
tristy?c1400
lightless?1406
heartlessa1413
tristc1420
amatec1425
languoring?c1425
mirthlessc1430
heavisome1435
darkc1440
gloomingc1440
comfortlessc1460
amateda1470
chermatc1475
tristfula1492
lustless?1507
dolorous1513
ruthful1513
downcast1521
deject1528
heartsicka1529
lumpisha1535
coolc1540
dowlyc1540
glum1547
discouraged1548
uncheerfulc1555
dumpish1560
out of heart1565
sadded1566
amoped1573
tristive1578
desolated1580
dejected1581
à la mort1586
delightless1589
afflicted1590
gladless1590
groanful1590
gloomya1593
muddy1592
sitheful1592
cloudy1594
leaden-hearted1596
disconsolated1598
clum1599
life-weary1599
spiritless1600
dusky1602
chop-fallen1604
flat1604
disanimated1605
jaw-fallen1605
moped1606
chap-fallen1608
decheerful1608
uncheerful1612
lacklustrea1616
pulled1616
dumpya1618
depressed1621
head-hung1632
grum1640
downa1644
dispirited1647
down-at-mouth1649
down in (rarely of) the mouth1649
unhearted1650
sunlessa1658
sadful1658
unlightened1659
chagrin1665
saddened1665
damp1667
moping1674
desponding1688
tristitious1694
unenjoying1697
unraised1697
unheartya1699
unked1698
despondent1699
dismal1705
unjoyful1709
unrejoiced1714
dreara1717
disheartened1720
mumpish1721
unrejoicing1726
downhearted1742
out of spirits1745
chagrineda1754
low-spirited1753
sombrea1767
black-blooded1771
glumpy1780
oorie1787
sombrous1789
morose1791
Novemberish1793
glumpish1800
mopeful1800
die-away1802
blue-devilish1804
blue-devilled1807
malagrugrous1818
down in the hip1826
yonderly1828
sunshineless1831
downfaced1832
broody1851
in a (or the) trough1856
blue-devilly1871
drooped1873
glummy1884
pippy1886
humpy1889
pipped1914
lousy1933
pissed1943
crappy1956
doomy1961
bummed1970
a1625 H. Mainwaring Nomenclator Navalis (Harl. 2301) Ye Trowgh of the Sea..when wee lay a Shipp vnder the Sea, (..her broadeside to the Sea) wee saie shee lies in ye Trowgh of the Sea.
1699 W. Dampier Voy. & Descr. iii. vi. 64 The ship by the mistake of him that con'd, broched too, and lay in the Trough of the Sea.
1769 W. Falconer Shipwreck (ed. 3) ii. 93 Still in the yawning trough the vessel reels, Ingulf'd beneath two fluctuating hills.
1856 H. B. Stowe Dred xvii Tom..never is himself; always up on a wave, or down in the trough.
1886 J. A. Froude Oceana ii. 21 The engines stopped, the ship lay rolling in the trough of the sea broadside on to the waves.
1942 C. S. Lewis Let. 20 Jan. (1966) 199 Sorry you're in a trough. I'm just emerging..from a long one myself.
1958 Sunday Times 9 Nov. 15/3 E. Nesbit..has therefore been ‘in the trough’—widely read, ardently admired, but neglected as a subject for critical appraisals.
1977 Listener 28 July 123/3 At the moment his [sc. E. M. Forster's] reputation is in the trough; it is said that he is a slight talent, overpraised for extraneous reasons.
c. Meteorology. A line or elongated region of lower barometric pressure between two regions of higher.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > movements and pressure conditions > [noun] > atmospheric pressure > area of low pressure > specific shape or position
trough1882
col1885
1882 W. Marriott in Standard 26 Dec. 7/4 At right angles to the path of a cyclone there is always a line running through the centre, called the trough, where the barometer reading is the lowest.
1887 R. Abercromby Weather ii. 30 If we look at the barometer-trace at any one place, the ‘ups’ and ‘downs’ suggest the analogy of waves, so that the lowest part of a trace may be called a ‘trough’.
1904 Westm. Gaz. 10 May 6/2 A long trough of low barometric pressure now lies over the southern parts of our islands.
d. Economics. The lowest level of economic activity or prosperity reached during a recession.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > management of national resources > [noun] > political economy > states or trends of the economy
inflation1821
economic cycle1832
recovery1843
downdraught1852
perfect competition1853
downturn1858
softness1872
slump1888
downtrend1890
sag1891
under-consumption1895
recession1905
downdrift1906
economic recession1908
air pocket1913
stickiness1913
trough1916
deflation1920
downswing1922
slowdown1922
scissors1924
scissors crisis1925
uptrend1926
reflation1932
depresh1933
upswing1934
stagnation1938
countercycle1944
fiscal cliff1957
turn-down1957
stagflation1965
soft landing1973
slumpflation1974
downer1976
1916 G. B. Shaw Androcles & Lion Pref. p. lxvi Basing..our whole industrial system on successive competitive waves of overwork with their ensuing troughs of unemployment.
1930 Economist 29 Mar. 691/1 We are, in fact, in the trough of a depression.
1960 Economist 8 Oct. 161/2 Even if the recession does not reach its trough until well into the spring.
1981 Daily Tel. 9 July 1/6 There is now firmer evidence that the trough in the recession has been reached, said the Treasury yesterday.
e. Hence, the lowest point in a period of any varying quantity; the time when this occurs. Also, the representation of this state on a graph; a point in a wave-form at which the varying quantity is a minimum. Cf. crest n.1 7e, peak n.2 7b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > graph or diagram > [noun] > graph > part of
peak1785
flatline1867
tail1895
upper bound1917
valley1935
trough1938
skirt1940
shoulder1956
spike1961
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > types of motion > [noun] > wave > shape, speed, period, length, etc. > specific point in a wave-form
trough1938
1938 British Birds 32 214 This is followed by a more or less distinct trough, after which numbers rapidly increase to a higher autumn peak by mid September.
1958 Listener 16 Oct. 605/1 Absence of distortion and the avoidance of marked peaks and troughs in the amplitude-frequency characteristic.
1971 Physics Bull. Aug. 462/2 Such currents tend to pile electrons in the potential troughs of the wave and denude the crests.
1976 Daily Tel. 22 Mar. 7/1 Chromatography splits the sample into its volatile chemical constituents, and draws an alpine graph with heady peaks and troughs to represent the chemicals coming through.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
a.
trough form n.
ΚΠ
1876 W. H. Preece & J. Sivewright Telegraphy 244 In the trough form of battery this [short circuit] is caused by leakage.
trough frame n.
ΚΠ
1827 M. Faraday Chem. Manip. xv. 313 A flap fixed to this end of the trough frame, which..may be used when there is occasion.
trough-meat n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > animal food > [noun] > fodder
fodderOE
foragec1315
provender1340
provend?a1400
foddering1430
feed1594
farrage1609
roughness1813
trough-meat1844
1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm II. 71 The whole have hay or trough-meat..on wet or stormy nights.
trough plate n. (In sense 2b.)
ΚΠ
1827 M. Faraday Chem. Manip. xvii. 448 The wires are soldered to plates equal in size to those of the troughs,..though they may not touch the trough plates.
trough-sailing n. (See sense 3.)
ΚΠ
1855 J. D. Maclaren in Mem. (1861) vii. 134 I could almost resume the bathing and the trough-sailing.
trough-stone n.
ΚΠ
1470–1 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1901) III. 643 Pro nova factura unius le Troughstane pro Aqueductu in gardino.
1587 in W. Greenwell Wills & Inventories Registry Durham (1860) II. 157 In the brewhowsse. One brew lead..j maskefatte and a trogh~stone.
1854 R. I. Murchison Siluria xiii. 329 Yellow sandstones..extensively used as..trough-stones.
b.
trough-like adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > curvature > curved surface > [adjective] > concave > like specific object
camois1664
pouch-likea1676
scaphoidal1681
spoon-likea1686
umbilicated1693
umbilicate1698
saucer-shaped1753
boat-shaped1760
pouchy1786
cupped1796
urn-shaped1796
naviform1816
spoon-shaped1817
urn-like1826
vase-shaped1832
bag-shaped1836
basin-like1836
trough-like1839
urceiform1840
vase-like1840
saucered1847
bag-like1849
sac-like1849
pouch-shaped1854
basin-shaped1859
trough-shaped1871
bucketed1886
spooned1890
1839 H. T. De la Beche Rep. Geol. Cornwall iii. 43 These rocks rested in a trough-like cavity extending east and west.
1869 H. F. Tozer Res. Highlands of Turkey II. 109 A trough-like depression between two ridges.
trough-shaped adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > curvature > curved surface > [adjective] > concave > like specific object
camois1664
pouch-likea1676
scaphoidal1681
spoon-likea1686
umbilicated1693
umbilicate1698
saucer-shaped1753
boat-shaped1760
pouchy1786
cupped1796
urn-shaped1796
naviform1816
spoon-shaped1817
urn-like1826
vase-shaped1832
bag-shaped1836
basin-like1836
trough-like1839
urceiform1840
vase-like1840
saucered1847
bag-like1849
sac-like1849
pouch-shaped1854
basin-shaped1859
trough-shaped1871
bucketed1886
spooned1890
1871 A. Nesbitt Catal. Slade Coll. Glass 77 A trough-shaped spout.
C2.
trough battery n. a voltaic battery consisting of a number of cells in a trough (sense 2b).
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > galvanism, voltaism > voltaic or galvanic battery > [noun]
electric battery1774
pile1800
battery1801
trough1806
voltaic battery1812
voltaic pile1812
magnetomotor1823
trough battery1841
gas battery1843
gravity battery1870
sand-battery1873
Bunsen battery1879
gravitation battery1883
magazine batterya1884
perfluent batterya1884
1841 Encycl. Brit. XXI. 665/2 A valuable modification of the ‘couronne des tasses’, called the trough battery.
1878 G. B. Prescott Speaking Telephone 260 A trough battery of six cells.
trough-closet n. see quot.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > privy or latrine > [noun] > water-closet or lavatory > types of
pan-closet1855
trough-closet1870
tumbler closet1870
pan-latrine1897
flush toilet1950
Porta Potti1968
Johnny-on-the-spot1971
1870 W. H. Corfield Treatm. Sewage 121 What are called trough-closets have been erected in Liverpool... A long trough is placed below and behind the seats of a series of closets.
trough core n. Geology see quot.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > sedimentary formation > [noun] > stratum > position or direction of strata > innermost strata
trough core1911
1911 Encycl. Brit. X. 598 The innermost strata in a fold constitute the ‘core’, arch-core, or trough core.
trough-current n. the current produced by a moving vessel.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > current > [noun] > caused by moving vessel
trough-current1843
1843 Mechanics' Mag. 38 70/1 The trough-current can only act against the front of the screw and the bevelled or slanting sides of the recess.
trough fault n. Geology see quot.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > discontinuity or unconformity > [noun] > fault > other types of fault
heave1802
reversed fault1852
reverse fault1865
step-fault1879
ring fracture1881
overfault1883
overlap fault1883
overthrust1883
trough fault1883
thrust1888
thrust-fault1889
offset1897
cross-fault1900
tear-fault1900
distributive fault1904
cross-break1909
slide1910
strike-slip fault1913
rift1921
splay fault1942
wrench fault1951
megashear1954
transform fault1965
transform1971
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > mass > [noun] > of rock > between faults
cleavage-mass1871
trough fault1883
horst1893
fault-block1897
thrust-mass1901
klippe1902
slice1914
rift block1915
nappe1922
1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining Trough fault, a wedge-shaped fault, or, more correctly, a mass of rock, coal, &c., let down in between two faults.
trough flooring n. steel troughing riveted together to form the floor of a bridge.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > route or way > other means of passage or access > [noun] > bridge > parts of
pierlOE
bridge foota1450
heada1450
staddling1461
foota1500
bridge end1515
jowel1516
causey1523
starling?c1684
rib1735
spur1736
icebreaker1744
jetty1772
cutwater1776
roadway1798
sleeper1823
water-breaker1823
centrya1834
stem1835
suspension-tower1842
cantilever1850
semi-beam1850
pylon1851
half-chess1853
span1862
sway-bracing1864
needle-beam1867
ice apron1871
newel1882
flood-arch1891
needle girder1898
sway-brace1909
trough flooring1911
1911 Encycl. Brit. IV. 538 The trough flooring, 3/8 in. thick and 6 in. deep, is rivetted to the longitudinals.
trough garden n. a miniature garden comprising a group of small plants, often alpine ones, grown in a trough-like container of real or imitation stone; cf. sink garden n. at sink n.1 Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > garden > [noun] > other types of garden
grounda1500
knot-garden1519
back-garden1535
summer garden1589
spring garden1612
spring gardena1625
water gardena1626
walled gardena1631
wildernessa1644
window garden1649
botanic garden1662
Hanging Gardens1705
winter garden1736
cottage garden1765
Vauxhall1770
English garden1771
wall garden1780
chinampa1787
moat garden1826
gardenesque1832
sunk garden1835
roof garden1844
weedery1847
wild garden1852
rootery1855
beer-garden1863
Japanese garden1863
bog-garden1883
Italian garden1883
community garden1884
sink garden1894
trough garden1935
sand garden1936
Zen garden1937
hydroponicum1938
tub garden1974
rain garden1994
1923 Times 31 May 10/7 Mr. Clarence Elliot's attempt at providing miniature alpine gardens in old stone troughs..would undoubtedly provide much interest where space was too limited for real gardening.]
1935 C. Elliott Rock Garden Plants 288 An invaluable small thing for spilling about and filling up odd sunny corners, and perfect on the trough rock garden.
1950 W. E. Shewell-Cooper Home, Window & Roof Gardening viii. 70 The Trough Garden..can be a great joy to the rock garden lover.
1979 M. Soames Clementine Churchill xxviii. 471 Here Clementine made a ‘trough’ garden.
trough girder n. an iron girder shaped like a trough.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > [noun] > working with iron or smithing > product of > specific
lormery1419
iron horse1680
trough girder1883
1883 Specif. Alnwick & Cornhill Railway 48 The superstructure is to consist of two wrought-iron trough girders carrying the rails.
trough gutter n. a box-like channel for drainage; a rainwater pipe of this form.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > preparation of land or soil > ditching or drainage > [noun] > other types of drainage
gutteringc1420
strand1565
sewaging1610
thorough-draining1669
cuniculus1670
French drain1738
riggot?1746
bush-draining1748
surface drain1765
land-drain1767
pipe-draining1776
surface draining1777
fox1784
surface drainage1796
mole drain1804
soughing1808
acequia1811
well-draining1818
tile-draining1830
wedge-draining?1830
plug-draining1833
land-drainage1841
land-draining1841
mole-draining1842
trough gutter1856
mole-ditching1860
mole drainage1860
tile-drainagea1865
well point1867
karez1875
storm sewer1887
moling1943
tiling1943
storm drain1960
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > roof > [noun] > gutter > type of
valley-gutter1823
eaves-trough1851
trough gutter1856
1856 S. C. Brees Terms & Rules Archit. Trough gutter, a sort of sunk or enclosed gutter, about 8 or 10 inches wide, and adopted with advantage in exposed situations. The wooden trunks employed as gutters for sheds and common buildings..are also known by this name.
trough-joint n. see quots.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > discontinuity or unconformity > [noun] > joint > trough-joint
trough-joint1865
1865 D. Page Handbk. Geol. Terms (ed. 2) 446 Trough-joint, the fissure or joint which frequently accompanies the abrupt bending of strata passing through the middle of the curvature.
trough limb n. Geology = trough-joint n.
ΚΠ
1911 Encycl. Brit. X. 598 In a fold of this kind we have an ‘arch limb’, a middle limb, and a floor or ‘trough limb’.
trough mercury n. the mercury used in a pneumatic trough.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > elements and compounds > metals > specific elements > mercury > [noun] > used in a pneumatic trough
trough mercury1827
1827 M. Faraday Chem. Manip. xx. 541 These chemical cleansings of the trough-mercury are intended to destroy the disposition which exists in impure mercury to form films upon its surface.
trough roof n. U.S. see quot.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > roof > [noun] > types of roof generally
vaulta1387
plat-roofa1425
pend1454
faunsere1460
compassed roofa1552
terrace1572
sotie1578
crown1588
arch-roof1594
arch1609
under-roof1611
concameration1644
voltoa1660
hip roof1663
French roof1669
oversail1673
jerkinhead1703
mansard1704
curb-roof1733
shed roof1736
gable roof1759
gambrel roof1761
living roof1792
pent roof1794
span-roof1823
wagon-head1823
azotea1824
rafter roof1825
rooflet1825
wagon-vault1835
bell-roof1842
spire-roof1842
cradle-roof1845
packsaddle roof1845
open roof1847
umbrella roof1847
gambrel1848
packsaddle1848
compass-roof1849
saddleback1849
saddle roof1850
curbed roof1866
wagon-roof1866
saw-tooth roof1900
trough roof1905
skillion roof1911
north-light roof1923
shell roof1954
green roof1984
knee-roof-
1905 Terms Forestry & Logging (Bull. U.S. Dept. Agric., Bureau Forestry, No. 61) 52 Trough roof, a roof on a logging camp or barn, made of small logs split lengthwise, hollowed into troughs and laid from ridge pole to eaves.
trough shell n. a mollusc of the family Mactridæ.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [noun] > section Siphonida > sinu-pallialia > family Mactridae > member of
horseshoe1775
hen clam1841
otter-shell1865
trough shell1867
surf clam1873
1867 M. S. Lovell Edible Mollusks Great Brit. & Ireland 152 Mactra solida, Linnæus. Trough shell.
Derivatives
ˈtroughful n. as much as a trough will hold.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > the scientific measurement of volume > measure(s) of capacity > amount defined by capacity > [noun] > amount that fills a receptacle > other vessels or receptacles
fontfulc1405
shellfulc1450
eggshell-fula1475
cruseful1561
mangerful1600
thimbleful1607
hornful1610
vatful1632
flask1730
fanful1807
urnful1820
watch-glassful1830
thimble1841
eyeful1853
vaseful1856
kettleful1862
sink1868
sinkful1873
troughful1877
tankful1887
teapotful1895
walletful1909
1877 Honourable Miss Ferrard I. v. 128 A troughful of buttermilk.
1891 Daily News 30 Oct. 5/6 Wheaten flour, which I distributed among them by troughfulls.
ˈtroughster n. one who feeds at a trough, a pig.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > order Artiodactyla (cloven-hoofed animals) > pig > [noun]
swineOE
hogOE
grice?c1225
pig?a1425
pork?a1425
grunterc1440
gussie15..
grunting-cheat1567
snorter1601
sow's-baby1699
grumphie1786
piggy-wig1870
turf-hog1880
troughster1892
1892 G. Meredith Ode to Comic Spirit 19 The poor smoke Struck from a puff-ball, or the troughster's grunt.
ˈtroughwise adv. as or like a trough.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > curvature > curved surface > [adverb] > concavely
troughwise1551
concavously1646
scoopingly1750
depressedly1842
concavely1880
1551 R. Robinson tr. T. More Vtopia sig. Bvv The shyppes that they founde fyrste were made playne flatte and broade in the botome troughewyse.
troughy adj. /ˈtrɒfɪ//-ɔː-/ characterized by troughs.
/ˈtrɒfɪ//-ɔː-/ characterized by troughs.ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > state of sea > [adjective] > rough
woodc900
drofc1000
bremea1300
scaldinga1300
sharp1377
wrothc1400
welteringc1420
rude?a1439
wawishc1450
wallya1522
robustuousa1544
troublesome1560
turbulent1573
boisterous?1594
lofty1600
enridged1608
hollow1705
ugly1744
testy1833
topping1857
seething1871
troughy1877
1877 J. T. Beer Prophet of Nineveh i. iv. 58 She plunges heavy in the troughy seas.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
troughv.
/trɒf/, /trɔːf/, U.S. /trɔf/, /trɑf/ 1. transitive.† a. To furnish with a trough or troughs for irrigation or drainage. dialect. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1668 Demise of Coal Mine (Arncliffe Hall MSS.) To carry a sough or watergate through the demised ground..and to leave the same trowed and scoured.
b. Geology. To form into a trough or into the shape of a trough.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > formation of features > tectonization or diastrophism > tectonize [verb (transitive)] > subsidence or troughing
trough1839
overdeepen1905
1839 R. I. Murchison Silurian Syst. i. xxix. 388 This spur reposes conformably on the Old Red Sandstone..being troughed between the latter and the ridge of Old Red Sandstone to the South of it.
1872 W. S. Symonds Rec. Rocks viii. 277 The Pilton rocks are rolled and troughed to a great extent about Ashford.
c. To treat in some way in a trough; to stain, gauge, or mould in a trough.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with tools or equipment > work with tools or equipment [verb (transitive)] > other tools or equipment
rolla1325
coina1483
wedge1530
maul1664
burnish1793
roller1828
shear1837
miser1847
trough1881
tank1905
trepan1909
lance1945
plough1961
1881 W. W. Greener Gun & its Devel. 254 The same method of troughing is required to brown them a dark brown.
1887 Daily News 20 May 3/2 Sword-bayonets..in store were re-tested,..being sprung round a curved block 2½ inches high,..troughed and gauged.
1905 Daily Chron. 25 July 4/4 Cottages which have unusual features..—concrete troughed between upright timbers.
2. intransitive. To feed at or as at a trough; to feed swinishly.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > processes or manners of eating > eat via specific process [verb (intransitive)] > eat coarsely
slobbera1500
trough1748
slorp1802
sloff1841
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa VII. lxxviii. 266 What miry wallowers the generality of men of our class are in themselves, and constantly trough and sty with.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > minerals > mineral deposits > features of stratum or vein > [verb (intransitive)] > slope down
hade1681
pitch1719
trough1747
1747 W. Hooson Miners Dict. sig. Rij When Veins or Pipes take a chop up higher than ordinary into their proper Lids, whethersoever the Lids be Stone, Mixt-beds, &c., this is opposite to Troughing or Choping down.
Derivatives
troughed adj. /trɒft//-ɔː-/
/trɒft//-ɔː-/ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > preparation of land or soil > ditching or drainage > [adjective] > furnished with ditch > relating to a ditch
ditchlikea1743
ditchy1786
troughed1898
1898 G. Meredith Napoleon in Odes French Hist. vi Heap over heap [of horses and men] Right through the troughed black lines turned to bunches or shreds, or a fog.
troughing n. and adj. /ˈtrɒfɪŋ//-ɔː-/
/ˈtrɒfɪŋ//-ɔː-/ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > [adjective] > of or relating to a groove > making grooves
furrowing1611
troughing1897
1897 Daily News 31 Dec. 2/1 A rather lumbering looking ‘troughing’ machine automatically scours the edges with emery until the embryo sword-bayonet will just fit in flat into a gauge or ‘trough’.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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