whoost

English

Alternative forms

• hoost
• whost (Scotland)

Etymology 1

From Middle English hostyn, from Old English hwōstan (“to cough”), from Proto-Germanic *hwōstōną, *hwōstāną (“to cough”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷās- (“to cough”). Cognate with Scots whust (“to cough”), Saterland Frisian hoostje (“to cough”), West Frisian hoastje (“to cough”), Dutch hoesten (“to cough”), German Low German hoosten (“to cough”), Danish hoste (“to cough”), Swedish hosta (“to cough”), Icelandic hósta (“to cough”). Non-Germanic cognates include Irish casacht (“cough”) and Welsh pas (“cough”).

Verb

whoost (third-person singular simple present whoosts, present participle whoosting, simple past and past participle whoosted)

1. (intransitive, dialectal) To cough.

Etymology 2

From Middle English host, from Old English hwōsta (“a cough”), from Proto-Germanic *hwōstô (“a cough”). Cognate with German Husten (“a cough”), Alemannic German Wüeste (“a cough”), Danish hoste (“a cough”), Icelandic hósti (“a cough”).

Noun

whoost (plural whoosts)

1. (dialectal) A cough.

Anagrams

• how-tos, howtos, twoosh, whoots