Old English toh "strong and firm in texture, tenacious, sticky," from Proto-Germanic *tanhu- (cognates: Middle Low German tege, Middle Dutch taey, Dutch taai, Old High German zach, German z?h), which Watkins suggests is from PIE *denk- "to bite," from the notion of "holding fast." See rough for spelling change.
From c. 1200 as "strong, powerful;" c. 1300 as "not tender or fragile;" early 14c. as "difficult to chew," also "hard to endure." Figurative sense of "steadfast" is mid-14c.; that of "hard to do, trying, laborious" is from 1610s. Verb tough it "endure the experience" is first recorded 1830, American English. Tough guy attested from 1901. Tough-minded first recorded 1907 in William James. Tough luck first recorded 1912; tough shit, dismissive retort to a complaint, is from 1946.
tough (n.)
"street ruffian," 1866, American English, from tough (adj.).
例文
1. We 'll face a tough fight in the upcoming election.
来るべき選挙で、私たちは悪戦苦闘に直面するだろう。
2.The steak was tough and the peas were like bullets.
ステーキはかむことができないほど古く、エンドウ豆は弾丸のように硬い。
3.They believe that a tough ，materially poor childhood is character-building.
彼らは貧しい子供時代が性格の育成に役立つと考えている。
4.I think it was very brave of him to tough it out.
最後まで頑張るのはとても勇敢だと思います。
＜dl>＜dt＞5.She is tough ，unwilling to take no for an answer.