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cosh¹

(kŏsh) Chiefly British

A weighted weapon similar to a blackjack.

tr.v. coshed, cosh·ing, cosh·es

To attack or hit with or as if with this weapon.

[From Romani kašt, piece of wood, timber; akin to Sanskrit kāṣṭham, perhaps hypercorrection of Prakrit kaṭṭha, from earlier Indic *kṣṭa-; see sker-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

cosh²

abbr.

hyperbolic cosine

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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