Lough
A lake or long sea inlet, the Irish equivalent of Scottish 'loch'. Used both as a common noun and as the standard place-name element for inland and coastal waters across the island.
Etymology
Borrowed directly from Irish 'loch', itself from Old Irish 'loch', Proto-Celtic 'loku', Proto-Indo-European 'lókus' (pond, pool). Cognate with Scottish Gaelic 'loch' and ultimately with English 'lake'. The voiceless velar fricative on the end - the proper Irish sound - is preserved in local pronunciation; the anglicised flat 'lock' is a recent intruder.
In a sentence
Outside, a freezing wind whips across Belfast lough - Henry McDonald, The Guardian, 2009
A study showing that the temperature of the lough's water has risen 1C since 1995 - Tommy Greene, The Guardian, 2023
Historical notes
Lough survives in the landscape itself, fixed into place-names that no successor has been able to dislodge: Lough Neagh, Lough Erne, Lough Foyle, Lough Swilly, Strangford Lough. The Ordnance Survey of the 1830s standardised the spelling 'lough' across Ireland; the older Irish-language form remains in parallel on bilingual signage. Compare Scottish Gaelic 'loch', which kept its original spelling on the other side of the water.
Sources
- Oxford English Dictionary, entry lough n. · dictionary
- McDonald, Henry. The Guardian, 26 January 2009. · other
- Greene, Tommy. The Guardian, 23 August 2023. · other