Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
- (pathology) A small and frequent cough, usually short and dry; a broken cough with a rough and loud sound; a hacking cough.
- A hacking cough is most commonly observed in chronic catarrh of the upper air-passages, in pharyngitis and laryngitis, and especially in beginning pulmonary tuberculosis; hence its importance.
- “hacking cough” at MacmillanDictionary.com
- Medical dictionaries at Google Books