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bough

bough

24 6.5
A large branch growing from the trunk of a tree
  • noun
  • /baʊ/
translation icon : rama
  • A rough bed, padded with pine boughs beneath a blanket, took up nearly half of it.
  • boughs of leaves

I think that'll give it a lot of like that tufty, kind of WAVY look that the big boughs of pine trees have.

Examples

  • A white figure moves slightly in the boughs of an oak tree.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Here, Alex had only the rustle of boughs to contend with, a gentle answer to the wind.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • High up in the tree, one bough capsized its load of snow.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Toshi ties the paper to the bough of a small tree next to the machine.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • A cardinal flashed from bough to bough, bright against the clearing evening sky.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Behind it, silhouetted against the water, is the bough of a plum tree heavy with fruit.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • I prepared your canoe with cedar boughs.

  • On the wall, the rays of light were shaking the shadowy boughs of the pomegranate tree.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • The branches he fended with his hands were pliant, and the boughs above their heads sighed with life.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The child climbed up to the highest bough of the tree to get a better view of the park.

Synonyms

branch
vsbough
243 1.0

A part of a tree that grows from the trunk

indicates a larger, more prominent main extension rather than any small side shoot
limb
vsbough
64 2.5

A large branch of a tree that sticks out from the trunk

is specifically the larger main projection rather than any protruding part
tree branch
vsbough
13 1.0

A part of a tree that grows from the trunk and holds leaves or fruit

is a larger, more prominent main side rather than smaller offshoots

How Big

limb
64 2.5
bough
24 6.5
branch
243 1.0
twig
61 1.0

Surface Forms

bough singular
boughs plural

Etymology

Bough comes from an old English word bōg meaning 'arm' or 'bend', like a bow that curves. So, a bough is the tree's big, arm-like branch that sticks out and often bends, which is why we use it for the larger branches.