bout — a short period of illness or intense activity
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: a short period of illness or intense activity
Pronunciation (IPA): /baʊt/
Example Sentences
- The two heavyweight boxers had an epic bout that lasted twelve rounds.
- After a wild bout of karaoke singing, my throat felt like sandpaper.
- The civil servant took three days off due to a sudden bout of food poisoning.
bout
NOUN[/baʊt/]
a short period of illness or intense activity
After a long bout of coughing, she finally caught her breath.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Bout derives from Middle English, originally denoting 'a bending or turning'. The word evolved from wrestling terminology, where it described one complete rotation or turn of grappling bodies, later generalized to mean 'a round of combat' and subsequently extended to 'a recurrence of illness or condition'.
Breakdown
The word traces to Middle English byht (bending, turning) through bought, contracted to bout. The morphological shift reflects the semantic journey from physical rotation to a discrete episode or round of activity.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The two heavyweight boxers had an epic bout that lasted twelve rounds.”
“After a wild bout of karaoke singing, my throat felt like sandpaper.”
“The civil servant took three days off due to a sudden bout of food poisoning.”
“My cat had a bout of zoomies at 3 AM and destroyed my living room.”
“The negotiation turned into a bout of stubborn arguments between both parties.”
📚Related Words
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