"stout stick," 1869, of unknown origin. Also as a verb, "to beat with a cosh." Related: Coshed; coshing.
Other English words of the same form, all apparently unrelated, include a provincial word for "a cottage, a hovel" (late 15c.), a provincial word for "the husk of corn" (1787), and an 18c. Scottish adjective meaning "neat, snug, quiet, comfortable."
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