What does clough mean?
A clough is a steep-sided valley or ravine, typically cut into a hillside by a small stream, and the term belongs firmly to the dialect vocabulary of northern England — especially Yorkshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, and Cheshire. Where a southerner might say 'gorge' or 'ravine', a Pennine walker speaks of a clough: a narrow, often wooded cleft in the moors, sheltered from the wind and frequently threaded with water. The word derives from Old English 'clōh', which itself points back to the Germanic root that also gave us 'cleave' — the idea being of land split apart. Although rare in everyday speech beyond its home region, clough endures vividly in thousands of northern place names, such as Crimsworth Clough near Hebden Bridge, and it remains a favourite word among writers describing the rugged character of the Pennines. For readers of maps, field guides, and regional literature, recognising it unlocks a whole layer of England's landscape vocabulary.
nounA steep-sided valley, gorge, or ravine, especially one cut into a hillside by a stream; a word used chiefly in the dialects of northern England.
- A steep-sided valley or ravine carved by a stream, especially in the landscape of northern England.
- (Dialect) A narrow wooded hollow or gully on a hillside.
"The footpath dropped steeply into the clough, where a stream tumbled over mossy stones."
"Sheep grazed along the rim of the clough while the stream murmured far below."
"The map marked a dozen unnamed cloughs cutting down from the moor towards the reservoir."
Standard regular plural, pronounced /klʌfs/.
"Several deep cloughs score the eastern flank of the hill."
In the hills of Yorkshire and Lancashire, locals never say 'ravine' — they say 'clough', a word so old it traces back to Old English and its Germanic cousins.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of clough
Clough comes from Old English 'clōh', meaning a ravine or steep valley, a word found chiefly in northern texts and place names. It belongs to the wider Germanic family built around the root behind 'cleave', sharing ancestry with Middle Dutch 'clouwe' and Modern German 'Kluft' (a chasm or cleft). The sense of land forcibly split open unites all these relatives. The word has remained continuously alive in northern English dialect since the medieval period, surviving today mostly through place names and local usage.
How clough is actually used
The word is regional and somewhat literary outside its heartland: it survives strongly in place names across Yorkshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, and Cheshire, and appears regularly in local writing about the Pennine landscape. It carries a distinctly rustic, topographic flavour and would rarely be used in formal standard English prose outside descriptions of northern terrain.
Easily confused with clough
A clove is either the dried flower bud used as a spice or the past tense of 'cleave' meaning to split, whereas a clough is a narrow steep-sided valley.
A cough is an expulsion of air from the lungs, while a clough is a geographical feature — though both share the same final consonant sound.