What does "clough" mean?
A narrow valley; a cleft in a hillside; a ravine, glen, or gorge.
Clough
/klʌf/ name, noun
name, noun ·Uncommon ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A narrow valley; a cleft in a hillside; a ravine, glen, or gorge.
- Grammar: clough is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: abyss, breach, break, canyon.
- Usage evidence: The day-sky glimmered on the dew[…] And lurked in heath and braken clough
How to use "clough"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "clough" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "clough" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "clough" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "clough" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "clough" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abyss" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "clough", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A narrow valley; a cleft in a hillside; a ravine, glen, or gorge. Northern-England, US
"The day-sky glimmered on the dew[…] And lurked in heath and braken clough"
- 2 Alternative form of cloff (“allowance of two pounds in every three hundredweight”). alt-of, alternative, historical
"Tare, Trett, and Clough, are to be deducted out of the Gross Weight; and the remainder is the Neat Weight of such Goods; for which the trader pays the Merchant who sells them, at so much per Hundred, Pound, &c. according to Agreement."
- 3 A sluice used in returning water to a channel after depositing its sediment on the flooded land.
"I have, accordingly, estimated the depth of drain at the lower end to be 1 foot 6 inches deeper than the fill of the clough, and given it a progressive rise to suit with 5 feet depth below the surface at its head."
- 4 The cleft or fork of a tree; crotch. dialectal
"The same praise should not be refused to the North-countryman who talks of "the clough" of the tree, literally the valley, the cleft, where the branches part."
- 5 A wood; weald. dialectal
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname transferred from the common noun.
- 2 A village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland.
- 3 A village in County Laois, Ireland.
- 4 An extinct town in Meade County, South Dakota, United States.
Example
"The day-sky glimmered on the dew[…] And lurked in heath and braken clough"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "clough"?
Common synonyms include: abyss, breach, break, canyon, cavity, chap.
How do you use "clough" in a sentence?
The day-sky glimmered on the dew[…] And lurked in heath and braken clough
How do you pronounce "clough"?
Pronounced /klʌf/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English clough, clow, cloȝ, from Old English *clōh, from Proto-Germanic *klanhaz, *klanhō (“cleft, sluice, abyss”), of uncertain origin, possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to form into a ball”). Cognate with Scots cleuch (“gorge; ravine”), Old High German klāh (in placenames), Old High German klingo, klinga (“brook, cataract, gulf, rapids”). Perhaps conflated or influenced by Old Norse klofi (“a cleft or rift in a hill, ravine”); compare Dutch kloof (“a slit, crevice, chink”). See also cling, clove.
Etymology 2
* As an English surname, from the noun clough. * As a Welsh surname, from cloff (“lame”), from Late Latin cloppus, perhaps ultimately imitative of a limping person. * As an Irish place name, from Irish an Chloch, "the stone".