tough

English

/tʌf/

adj
Definitions
  • Strong and resilient; sturdy.
  • (of food) Difficult to cut or chew.
  • Rugged or physically hardy.
  • Stubborn.
  • (of weather etc) Harsh or severe.
  • Rowdy or rough.
  • (of questions, etc.) Difficult or demanding.
  • (material science) Undergoing plastic deformation before breaking.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English tough inherited from Old English tōh (holding fast together, tenacious, sticky, tough, glutinous, pliant, clammy) inherited from Proto-Germanic *tanhuz (tough, clinging, fitting, tenacious) derived from Proto-Indo-European *denḱ- (bite), *denḱ- (bite).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*denḱ-

Gloss

bite

Concept
Semantic Field

The body

Ontological Category

Action/Process

Emoji

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms