tough
English
/tʌf/
adj
Definitions
- Strong and resilient; sturdy.
- (of food) Difficult to cut or chew.
- Rugged or physically hardy.
- Stubborn.
- (of weather etc) Harsh or severe.
- Rowdy or rough.
- (of questions, etc.) Difficult or demanding.
- (material science) Undergoing plastic deformation before breaking.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English tough inherited from Old English tōh (holding fast together, tenacious, sticky, tough, glutinous, pliant, clammy) inherited from Proto-Germanic *tanhuz (tough, clinging, fitting, tenacious) derived from Proto-Indo-European *denḱ- (bite), *denḱ- (bite).
Origin
Proto-Indo-European
*denḱ-
Gloss
bite
Concept
Semantic Field
The body
Ontological Category
Action/Process
Emoji
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- minded English
- semitough English
- supertough English
- toughen English
- toughenable English
- toughener English
- toughie English
- toughish English
- toughly English
- toughminded English
- toughmindedly English
- toughmindedness English
- toughness English
- ultratough English
- untough English
- superzäh German
- zäh German
- zähfließend German
- zähflüssig German
- taai Dutch, Flemish
- taaislijmziekte Dutch, Flemish
- taaitaai Dutch, Flemish
- δάκνω Ancient Greek
- δάκος Ancient Greek
- δήξ Ancient Greek
- δαγκάνω Ancient Greek
- δῆγμα Ancient Greek
- δῆξις Ancient Greek
- ὀδάξ Ancient Greek
- *denḱ- Proto-Indo-European
- tøff Norwegian Bokmål
- *tangiz Proto-Germanic
- *tangō Proto-Germanic
- *tanhuz Proto-Germanic
- *tanhwą Proto-Germanic
- tuff Swedish
- タフ Japanese
- タフネス Japanese
- tøff Norwegian Nynorsk
- toh Old English
- tōh Old English
- दशति Sanskrit
- tough Middle English
- toughli Middle English
- toughnesse Middle English
- töff Icelandic
- taey Middle Dutch
- zah Old High German
- zāh Old High German
- zāhi Old High German
- zæhe, zǣhe Middle High German
- zéi Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- *tāi Old Dutch
- *dáćati Proto-Indo-Iranian
- *tēi Old Frisian
- *daknā Proto-Albanian
- δακώνω gkm
- δαγκάνω grc-koi