COUGH

I. verb Etymology: Middle English, from Old English *cohhian; akin to Middle High German kūchen to breathe heavily Date: 14th century intransitive verb to expel air from the lungs suddenly with an explosive noise, to make a noise like that of ~ing, transitive verb to expel by ~ing, II. noun Date: 14th century a condition marked by repeated or frequent ~ing, an act or sound of ~ing