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trough

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Trough
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trough

  [trawf, trof or, sometimes, trawth, troth]
–noun
1. a long, narrow, open receptacle, usually boxlike in shape, used chiefly to hold water or food for animals.
2. any of several similarly shaped receptacles used for various commercial or household purposes.
3. a channel or conduit for conveying water, as a gutter under the eaves of a building for carrying away rain water.
4. any long depression or hollow, as between two ridges or waves.
5. Oceanography. a long, wide, and deep depression in the ocean floor having gently sloping sides, wider and shallower than a trench. Compare trench (def. 4).
6. Meteorology. an elongated area of relatively low pressure.
7. the lowest point, esp. in an economic cycle.
Use trough in a Sentence
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE trōh; c. D, G, ON trog

Related forms:
troughlike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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Trough
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trough   (trôf, trŏf)   
n.  

    1. A long, narrow, generally shallow receptacle for holding water or feed for animals.

    2. Any of various similar containers for domestic or industrial use, such as kneading or washing.

  2. A gutter under the eaves of a roof.

  3. A long, narrow depression, as between waves or ridges.

  4. A low point in a business cycle or on a statistical graph.

  5. Meteorology An elongated region of relatively low atmospheric pressure, often associated with a front.

  6. Physics A minimum point in a wave or an alternating signal.


[Middle English, from Old English trog; see deru- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

trough 
O.E. trog, from P.Gmc. *trugoz (cf. O.Fris., O.S., O.N. trog, M.Du. troch, Du. trog, O.H.G. troc, Ger. trog), perhaps ultimately from PIE *drukos, from base *dru- "wood, tree" (see tree). Originally pronounced in Eng. with a hard -gh- (as in Scottish loch); pronunciation shifted to -f-, but spelling remained.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

Trough

The stage of the economy's business cycle that marks the end of a period of declining business activity and the transition to expansion.

Investopedia Commentary

In general, the business cycle is said to go through expansion, then the peak, followed by contraction, and then it finally bottoms out with the trough.

Related Links

Recession: What Does It Mean To Investors?
The Ups And Downs Of Investing In Cyclical Stocks
The Stages Of Industry Growth
Peak-and-Trough Analysis

See also: Bottom, Business Cycle, Contraction, Expansion, Peak, Recession

Investopedia.com. Copyright © 1999-2005 - All rights reserved. Owned and Operated by Investopedia Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: trough
—see GINGIVAL TROUGH
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Science Dictionary
trough   (trôf)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. The part of a wave with the least magnitude; the lowest part of a wave. Compare crest. See more at wave.

  2. A narrow, elongated region of relatively low atmospheric pressure occurring at the ground surface or in the upper atmosphere, and often associated with a front. Compare ridge.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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