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Definition of ouse

ouse

/uːz/
ouse
Plural:Ouses
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ouse Lexical Profile

• noun

1

British The name of several rivers in England, most notably the River Ouse in North Yorkshire which flows through the city of York, and the Great Ouse which flows through eastern England into the Wash.

2

An infusion of oak bark or other vegetable matter used in tanning leather; a tanner's liquor.

Example

"The heavy cowhides were left to steep in the ouse for several months to properly cure the leather."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for ouse

• Rhymes for ouse

• Nearby Words

ours
ourself
ourselves
ouse
oust
ouster
out

Word Origin & Etymology

The river name derives from a Celtic word likely related to '*udso-' meaning 'water', which traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*wed-' (water). As a term for tanning liquor, it is an archaic variant of 'ooze', from Old English 'wōs' (juice, sap).

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Ouse. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/ouse
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