A low-lying meadow or field beside a river, especially in Scotland and Northern England, that often floods.
From Old Norse 'hálgr' meaning 'low-lying land by water.' The word traveled to Britain through Scandinavian settlement and became common in Scottish and Northern English dialects where such terrain is frequent.
Haughs are so important to Scottish culture that they inspired poetry and shaped agricultural history—Robert Burns even wrote about them! The word survives today as a geographic marker, with hundreds of Scottish place names like 'Haugh of Fintray' still using it.
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