hoast

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a cough, especially in Scots and northern British dialect

   After several wet nights at sea, the fisherman developed a harsh hoast.

2. 2
   verb

   to cough, especially in Scots and northern British dialect

   The old sailor began to hoast whenever smoke drifted across the room.

The noun descends from Middle English host or hoste, from Old Norse hosti ("a cough"); the verb similarly comes through Middle English hosten from Old Norse hosta ("to cough"). The spelling hoast remains dialectal in Scots and northern English.

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