Houghing
/ˈhʌfɪŋ/noun
The act of hamstringing an animal, especially by cutting the tendons behind the hock.
Did you know?Houghing is historically tied to livestock control and cruelty, and its name comes from an old Germanic word for the heel or hock, not from any mystical source.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hōh-
“heel, hock”
Old English
OE
hōh
“heel, hock”
Middle English
ME
hough
“the hock or heel; to hamstring”
Modern English
English
hough
“to cut the hamstrings of an animal”
Modern English
English
houghing
“the act of houghing”