The act of forcibly expelling air from the lungs through the throat and mouth, typically to clear the respiratory tract of irritants or mucus.
From Middle English 'coughen', derived from Old English onomatopoeia. The word is believed to be imitative of the sound itself. Similar onomatopoeic words exist across many languages, suggesting the sound-symbolic nature of the term.
Coughing is one of our body's most ancient defense mechanisms, yet the word itself demonstrates how humans naturally create words from sounds. It's fascinating that this vital reflex gave birth to a word that sounds like what it describes.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.