Hypertext Webster Gateway: "tougher"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Tough \Tough\, a. [Compar. {Tougher}; superl. {Toughest}.] [OE.
tough, AS. t[=o]h, akin to D. taai, LG. taa, tage, tau, OHG.
z[=a]hi, G. z[aum]he, and also to AS. getenge near to, close
to, oppressive, OS. bitengi.]
1. Having the quality of flexibility without brittleness;
yielding to force without breaking; capable of resisting
great strain; as, the ligaments of animals are remarkably
tough. ``Tough roots and stubs. '' --Milton.

2. Not easily broken; able to endure hardship; firm; strong;
as, tough sinews. --Cowper.

A body made of brass, the crone demands, . . . Tough
to the last, and with no toil to tire. --Dryden.

The basis of his character was caution combined with
tough tenacity of purpose. --J. A.
Symonds.

3. Not easily separated; viscous; clammy; tenacious; as,
tough phlegm.

4. Stiff; rigid; not flexible; stubborn; as, a tough bow.

So tough a frame she could not bend. --Dryden.

5. Severe; violent; as, a tough storm. [Colloq.] `` A tough
debate. '' --Fuller.

{To make it tough}, to make it a matter of difficulty; to
make it a hard matter. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

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