plout

Plout is a Scots English dialect word used to describe a heavy splash or wetting. As a verb, it means to splash through water or mud; as a noun, it can refer to the splash itself or the act of being splashed.

The term is primarily regional, found in rural and coastal speech in Scotland and northern England. It is rarely used in standard modern English outside dialect writing or quotations from dialect sources. The typical pronunciation is roughly plowt, with the vowel sound of “out.”

In usage, a plout can result from crossing a ford, stepping in a puddle, or being struck by waves. Dialect literature and oral tradition often describe scenes of people getting a plout in wet weather, emphasizing the sound and impact of the splash.

Origin and references: The etymology of plout is uncertain. It is documented in Scots language dictionaries and texts, including the Scottish National Dictionary, which lists senses related to splashing and wetting. Outside dialect contexts, the word remains largely unfamiliar to speakers of standard English.