cough

Main Entry: ¹cough 

Pronunciation: \ˈkȯf\

Function: verb

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English *cohhian; akin to Middle High German kūchen to breathe heavily

Date: 14th century

intransitive verb 1 : to expel air from the lungs suddenly with an explosive noise
2 : to make a noise like that of coughingtransitive verb : to expel by coughing —often used with up {cough up mucus}