words

though

Though is native, from Old English þeah, partly reinforced by Old Norse þo — the same word arriving from both sides of a bilingual population. Both go back to the Germanic demonstrative that also gives that and the.

Its interest is entirely in the -ough. That spelling covers a rasping consonant that English inherited and then disposed of in several different ways depending on the word and the dialect: silent in though and through, an f in enough, rough and tough, and something else again in plough and thorough. Etymonline notes that though did not follow laugh and tough into the f, although a tendency to end it that way existed between about 1300 and 1750 and survives in dialects. Seven spellings, one letter sequence, no rule — which is why -ough is the standing joke of English orthography.

Raw Etymonline excerpt
though
(adv., conj.)
c. 1200, "notwithstanding that, conceding or allowing that," introducing a clause, used in contrasting or in correlation, from Old English
þeah
,
þeh
"though, although, even if, however, nevertheless, still, yet;" and in part from Old Norse
þo
"though," both from Proto-Germanic
*thaukh
(source also of Gothic
þauh
, Old Frisian
thach
, Middle Dutch, Dutch
doch
, Old High German
doh
, German
doch
), from PIE demonstrative pronoun
*to-
(see
that
).
The evolution of the terminal sound did not follow
laugh
,
tough
, etc., though a tendency to end the word in "f" existed c. 1300-1750 and persists in dialects.
also from c. 1200

View on Etymonline

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