Etymology dictionary
clingy (adj.) — cloudlet (n.)
clingy (adj.)
1680s, of things, "apt to cling, adhesive," from cling + -y (2). Of persons (especially children) from 1969, though the image of a "clingy vine" in a relationship goes back to 1896. Related: Clinginess.
clingstone (n.)
"fruit (generally a peach) having the pulp adhering firmly to the stone," 1722, from cling (v.) + stone (n.). Also as an adjective.
clinic (n.)
1620s, "bedridden person, one confined to his bed by sickness," from French clinique (17c.), from Latin clinicus "physician that visits patients in their beds," from Greek klinike (techne) "(practice) at the sickbed," from klinikos "of the bed," from kline "bed, couch, that on which one lies," from suffixed form of PIE root *klei- "to lean."
Also "one who defers baptism until the death-bed" (1660s). Sense of "private hospital" is from 1884, from German Klinik in this sense, itself from French clinique, via the notion of "bedside medical education, examination of a patient by an instructor in the presence of students." The modern sense thus reverses the classical one, in which the "clinic" came to the patient. General sense of "conference for group instruction in something" is from 1919.
clinical (adj.)
1780, "pertaining to hospital patients or hospital care," from clinic + -al (2). Meaning "coldly dispassionate" (like a medical report) is recorded from 1928. The earlier adjective was clinic "of or pertaining to the sick-bed" (1620s). Related: Clinically.
clinician (n.)
"one who makes a practical study of disease or sick persons," 1844, from French clinicien, which is formed from Latin clinicus (see clinic) on the model of physicien. Native clinicist is attested from 1860.
clink (n.1)
"sharp, ringing sound made by collision of sonorous (especially metallic) bodies," c. 1400, from clink (v.).
clink (v.)
"to ring, jingle, give forth a sharp, metallic sound," early 14c., echoic (compare Dutch klinken, Old High German klingan, German klingen); perhaps a weakened form of clank. Transitive sense, "cause to produce a sharp metallic sound" is from late 14c. Related: Clinked; clinking.
clink (n.2)
"prison," 1770s, apparently originally (1510s) the Clynke on Clink Street in Southwark, on the estate of the bishops of Winchester. To kiss the clink "to be imprisoned" is from 1580s, and the word and the prison name might be cognate derivatives of the sound made by chains or metal locks (see clink (v.)).
clinker (n.)
"mass of slag," 1769, from klincard (1640s), a type of paving brick made in Holland, from Dutch klinkaerd, from klinken "to ring" (as it does when struck), which is of imitative origin (compare clink (v.)). Also "a clinch-nail" (see clench, clinch). The meaning "stupid mistake" is first recorded 1950 in American English; originally (1942) "a wrong note in music."
clino-
before vowels clin-, word-forming element meaning "slope, slant, incline," from Latinized form of Greek klinein "to lean, slope," from PIE root *klei- "to lean."
clinometer (n.)
"measurer of slopes and elevations," 1811, from clino- + -meter. Related: Clinometric.
Clinton
surname, attested from early 12c., from village of Glinton, earlier Clinton, Northamptonshire (now Cambridgeshire); the second element is Old English tun "farm, village," the first is of unknown origin.
Clio
"muse of history, muse who sings of glorious actions," usually represented with a scroll and manuscript case, from Latin Clio, from Greek Kleio, literally "the proclaimer," from kleiein "to tell of, celebrate, make famous," from kleos "rumor, report, news; good report, fame, glory," from PIE *klew-yo-, suffixed form of root *kleu- "to hear."
clipping (n.1)
early 13c., "a clasping, an embracing," verbal noun from clip (v.2). As a U.S. football penalty (not in OED), from 1920.
clipping (n.2)
early 14c., "a cutting, act of shearing off," verbal noun from clip (v.1). Sense of "a small piece cut off" is from late 15c. Meaning "an article cut from a newspaper" is from 1857.
clip (v.2)
"fasten, hold together by pressure," also (mostly archaic) "to embrace," from Old English clyppan "to embrace, clasp; surround; prize, honor, cherish," from Proto-Germanic *kluppjan (source also of Old Frisian kleppa "to embrace, love," Old High German klaftra, German klafter "fathom" (on notion of outstretched arms). Also compare Lithuanian glėbys "armful," globti "to embrace."
Meaning "to fasten, bind" is early 14c. Meaning "to fasten with clips" is from 1902. Related: Clipped. Original sense of the verb is preserved in U.S. football penalty (see clipping (n.1)).
clip (v.1)
"to cut or sever with a sharp instrument," c. 1200, from a Scandinavian source (compare Old Norse klippa, Swedish klippa, Danish klippe "clip, shear, cut"), which is probably echoic. Related: Clipped; clipping.
Meaning "to pronounce words in a shortened form" is from 1520s. The verb has a long association with shady activities, originally especially in reference to cutting or shaving metal from coins (c. 1400), but later extended to swindles from the sense "to shear sheep," hence clip-joint "place that overcharges outrageously" (1933, American English, a term from Prohibition).
To clip (someone's) wings, figuratively, "put a check on one's ambition" (1590s) is from the method of preventing a captive bird from flying.
clip (n.1)
"something for attaching or holding," mid-14c., probably from clip (v.2). Meaning "receptacle containing several cartridges for a repeating firearm" is from 1901. Meaning "piece of jewelry fastened by a clip" is from 1937. This is also the source of paper clip (1854). Old English had clypp "an embrace."
clip (n.2)
mid-15c., clips, "shears," from clip (v.1). Meaning "act of clipping" is from 1825, originally of sheep-shearing, later of haircuts. Meaning "rate of speed" is 1867 (compare clipper). Meaning "an extract from a movie" is from 1958.
clipboard (n.)
"portable board with a hinged clip at the top to hold papers," 1904, from clip (n.1) + board (n.1).
clip-clop
sound as of a horse's hooves, 1884, imitative.
clip-on (adj.)
"held on by means of a clip," 1909, from the verbal phrase; see clip (v.2) + on (adv.).
clipper (n.)
late 14c., "sheep-shearer;" early 15c., "a barber;" c. 1300 as a surname; agent noun from Middle English clippen "shorten" (see clip (v.1)). In late 18c., the word principally meant "one who cuts off the edges of coins" for the precious metal.
The type of sailing ship with sharp lines and a great spread of canvas is so called from 1823 (in Cooper's "The Pilot"), probably from clip (v.1) in sense of "to move or run rapidly." Compare early 19c. clipper "person or animal who looks capable of fast running." Perhaps it was influenced by Middle Dutch klepper "swift horse," which is echoic (Clipper appears as the name of an English race horse in 1831). The nautical sense was perhaps originally simply "fast ship," regardless of type:
The early association of the ships was with Baltimore, Maryland. Clipper-ship is attested from 1850.
clippers (n.)
"shears-like cutting tool for hair, etc.," 1876, agent noun from clip (v.1). Earlier they were clipping shears (mid-15c.).
clique (n.)
1711, "an exclusive party of persons; a small set, especially one associating to arrogate power or privilege," from obsolete French clique, which meant originally (14c.) "a sharp noise," also "latch, bolt of a door," from Old French cliquer "click, clatter, crackle, clink," 13c., echoic. Apparently this word was at one time treated in French as the equivalent of claque (q.v.) and partook of that word's theatrical sense.
cliquish (adj.)
"relating to a clique, disposed to form cliques," 1839, from clique + -ish. Related: Cliquishly; cliquishness.
clit (n.)
by 1969, slang shortening of clitoris.
clitellum (n.)
"raised band around an earthworm," 1816, Modern Latin, from Latin clitellae "a pack-saddle," diminutive of *clitra "litter," from PIE *kleitro-, suffixed form of root *klei- "to lean." Related: Clitellar.
clitoral (adj.)
1887, from stem of clitoris + -al (1). Related: Clitorally. Alternative form clitorial is attested from 1879.
clitoris (n.)
"erectile organ of female mammals," 1610s, coined in Modern Latin from Late Greek kleitoris, a diminutive, but the exact sense intended by the coiners is uncertain. Perhaps from Greek kleiein "to sheathe," also "to shut," in reference to its being covered by the labia minora. The related Greek noun kleis has a secondary meaning "a key, a latch or hook (to close a door);" see close (v.), and compare slot (n.2).
Alternatively [Watkins], from Greek kleitys, a variant of klitys "side of a hill," from PIE *kleitor-, suffixed form of root *klei- "to lean," via with a sense of "little hill." Some ancient medical sources give a supposed Greek verb kleitoriazein "to touch or titillate lasciviously, to tickle" (compare German slang der Kitzler "clitoris," literally "the tickler"), but in this case the verb is likely from the anatomy.
As for the Greeks themselves, they seem to have called the thing nymphē, a figurative use, literally "bride, lovely young woman;" Beekes also has kystho-korone "clitoris," literally "crown of the vagina."
The anatomist Mateo Renaldo Colombo (1516-1559), professor at Padua, claimed to have discovered it ("De re anatomica," 1559, p. 243). He called it amor Veneris, vel dulcedo "the love or sweetness of Venus." It had been known earlier to women.
In Middle English anatomy and medicine, Chauliac uses tentigo (early 15c.), from Latin.
clitoridectomy (n.)
"surgical removal of the clitoris from the body," 1866, from Latinized stem of Greek kleitoris (see clitoris) + -ectomy "a cutting, surgical removal." Originally in reference to a proposed cure for hysteria.
cloaca (n.)
1650s, euphemism for "underground sewer," from Latin cloaca "public sewer, drain," from cluere "to cleanse," probably from PIE root *kleu- "to wash, clean" (source also of Greek klyzein "to dash over, wash off, rinse out," klysma "liquid used in a washing;" Lithuanian šluoju, šluoti "to sweep;" Old English hlutor, Gothic hlutrs, Old High German hlutar, German lauter "pure, clear"). Use in biology, in reference to eliminatory systems of lower animals, is from 1834. Related: Cloacal (1650s); cloacinal (1857).
cloak (n.)
late 13c., "long, loose outer garment without sleeves," from Old North French cloque (Old French cloche, cloke) "traveling cloak," from Medieval Latin clocca "travelers' cape," literally "a bell," so called from the garment's bell-like shape (the word is thus a doublet of clock (n.1)).
An article of everyday wear for either sex in England through 16c. as a protection from the weather; a high-collared circular form revived as a fashion garment c. 1800-1840, often called Spanish cloak. Figuratively, "that which covers or conceals, a pretext," from 1520s.
Cloak-and-dagger (adj.) attested from 1848, said to be ultimately translating French de cape et d'épée, suggestive of stealthy violence and intrigue. Compare cloak-and-sword (1806) in reference to melodramatic romantic adventure stories.
cloak (v.)
cover with or as with a cloak," "c. 1500, from cloak (n.). Figuratively, "to cover up, hide, conceal" from 1540s. Related: Cloaked; cloaking.
cloak-room (n.)
also cloakroom, 1827, "a room connected with an assembly-hall, opera-house, etc., where cloaks and other articles are temporarily deposited," from cloak (n.) + room (n.). Later extended to railway offices for temporary storage of luggage, and by mid-20c. sometimes a euphemism for "bathroom, lavatory."
clobber (v.)
"to hit hard, defeat decisively," 1941, British air force slang, of unknown origin, probably related to bombing; possibly echoic. Related: Clobbered; clobbering.
In late 19c. British slang an identical word principally had to do with clothing, as in clobber (n.) "clothes," (v.) "to dress smartly;" clobber up "to patch old clothes for reuse, conceal defects" (1851). The source of these seems to have been 19c. clobber (n.) "kind of coarse dark paste used to cover breaks in leather in old shoes," which seems similar to Gaelic clabar "mud," but OED writes that this is "hardly likely to be the word."
cloche (n.)
type of bell-jar, 1882, from French cloche "bell, bell glass" (12c.), from Late Latin clocca "bell" (see clock (n.1)). As a type of women's hat, recorded from 1907, so called from its shape.
clock (n.2)
"ornament pattern on a stocking," 1520s, probably identical with clock (n.1) in its older sense and meaning "bell-shaped ornament," though clock seems never to have been used for "bell" in English. Related: Clocked; clock-stocking.
clock (n.1)
"machine to measure and indicate time mechanically" (since late 1940s also electronically), late 14c., clokke, originally "clock with bells," probably from Middle Dutch clocke (Dutch klok) "a clock," from Old North French cloque (Old French cloke, Modern French cloche "a bell"), from Medieval Latin clocca "bell," which probably is from Celtic (compare Old Irish clocc, Welsh cloch, Manx clagg "a bell") and spread by Irish missionaries (unless the Celtic words are from Latin). Ultimately of imitative origin.
Replaced Old English dægmæl, from dæg "day" + mæl "measure, mark" (see meal (n.1)). The Latin word was horologium (source of French horologe, Spanish reloj, Italian oriolo, orologio); the Greeks used a water-clock (klepsydra, literally "water thief;" see clepsydra).
The image of put (or set) the clock back "return to an earlier state or system" is from 1862. Round-the-clock (adj.) is from 1943, originally in reference to air raids. To have a face that would stop a clock "be very ugly" is from 1886. (Variations from c. 1890 include break a mirror, kill chickens.)
clock (v.)
"to time by the clock," 1883, from clock (n.1). The slang sense of "hit, sock" is 1941, originally Australian, probably from earlier slang clock (n.) "face" (1923). To clock in "register one's arrival by means of a mechanical device with a clock" is from 1914. Related: Clocked; clocking.
clock-maker (n.)
"one who makes clocks," mid-15c., from clock (n.1) + maker.
clock-radio (n.)
"combined bedside radio and alarm clock which can be set to turn on the radio instead of sounding the alarm," 1946, from clock (n.1) + radio (n.).
clock-tower (n.)
"tower containing a clock," usually a large one with dials exposed on all four sides, 1757, from clock (n.1) + tower (n.). Older words for this were clocher (14c., from Old French), belfry.
clock-watcher (n.)
"employee habitually prompt in leaving," 1887, from clock (n.1) + agent noun from watch (v.). Related: Clock-watching. Compare earlier tell-clock "idler" (c. 1600).
clockwise (adv.)
also clock-wise, "in the direction of the rotation of the hands of a clock," 1879, from clock (n.1) + wise (n.).
clockwork (n.)
also clock-work, 1660s, "machinery and movements of a clock," from clock (n.1) + work (n.). Figurative sense of "any regulated system of unvarying regularity" is recorded earlier (1620s); also as an adjective in this sense (1760s).
clod (n.)
"lump of earth or clay," Old English clod- (in clodhamer "the fieldfare," a kind of thrush), from Proto-Germanic *kludda-, from PIE *gleu- (see clay).
Synonymous with collateral clot until the meanings differentiated 18c. Meaning "person" ("mere lump of earth") is from 1590s; that of "blockhead, dolt, stupid fellow" is from c. 1600 (compare clodpate, clodpoll, etc. in the same sense). It also was a verb in Middle English, meaning both "to coagulate, form into clods" and "to break up clods after plowing."
cloddish (adj.)
"of the nature of a clod," hence "base, low, boorish," 1838, from clod (n.) + -ish. Related: Clodishly; clodishness.
clodhopper (n.)
1690s, slang, "one who works on plowed land, a rustic," from clod (n.) + agent noun from hop (v.). Compare in a similar sense clod-breaker, clod-crusher; in this word perhaps a play on grasshopper. Sense extended by 1836 to the shoes worn by such workers.
clog (n.)
early 14c., clogge "a lump of wood," origin unknown. Also used in Middle English of large pieces of jewelry and large testicles. Compare Norwegian klugu "knotty log of wood." Meaning "anything that impedes action" is from 1520s, via the notion of "block or mass constituting an encumbrance."
The sense of "wooden-soled shoe" is first recorded late 14c.; they were used as overshoes until the introduction of rubbers c. 1840. Originally all of wood (hence the name), later wooden soles with leather uppers for the front of the foot only. Later revived in fashion (c. 1970), primarily for women. Clog-dancing "dancing performed in clogs" is attested from 1863.
clog (v.)
late 14c., "hinder, impede the movement of," originally by fastening a block of wood to something, from clog (n.). Meaning "choke up with extraneous matter" is 1670s; intransitive sense "become choked up with extraneous matter" is from 1755. Related: Clogged; clogging.
cloy (v.)
"weary by too much, fill to loathing, surfeit," 1520s, from Middle English cloyen "hinder movement, encumber" (late 14c.), a shortening of accloyen (early 14c.), from Old French encloer "to fasten with a nail, grip, grasp," figuratively "to hinder, check, stop, curb," from Late Latin inclavare "drive a nail into a horse's foot when shoeing," from Latin clavus "a nail" (from PIE root *klau- "hook").
The figurative meaning "fill to a satiety, overfill" is attested for accloy from late 14c. Related: Cloyed; cloying.
cloying (adj.)
"satiating, wearying by too much," 1640s, present-participle adjective from cloy (v.). Related: Cloyingly; cloyingness.
cloison (n.)
"a partition, a dividing band," 1690s, from French cloison, from Vulgar Latin *clausionem (nominative *clausio), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin claudere "to close, shut" (see close (v.)). Related: Cloisonnage.
cloisonne (adj.)
"divided into compartments, partitioned" (especially in reference to surface decoration), 1863, from French cloisonné, from cloison "a partition" (12c., in Old French, "enclosure"), from Provençal clausio, from Vulgar Latin *clausio, noun of action from past participle stem of claudere "to close, shut" (see close (v.) ).
cloister (n.)
early 13c., cloystre, "a monastery or convent, a place of religious retirement or seclusion," from Old French cloistre "monastery, convent; enclosure" (12c., Modern French cloître), from Medieval Latin claustrum "portion of monastery closed off to laity," from Latin claustrum (usually in plural, claustra) "place shut in, enclosure; bar, bolt, means of shutting in," from past participle stem of claudere "to close, shut" (see close (v.)).
"The original purpose of cloisters was to afford a place in which the monks could take exercise and recreation" [Century Dictionary]. Spelling in French influenced by cloison "partition." Old English had clustor, clauster in the sense "prison, lock, barrier," directly from Latin, and compare, from the same source, Dutch klooster, German Kloster, Polish klasztor.
From c. 1300 in English as "covered walk running round the walls of a monastic building or large church;" from late 14c. in the general sense "colonnade round an open court."
cloister (v.)
"confine in a cloister or convent," c. 1400 (implied in cloistered), from cloister (n.). Figurative use, "shut up in retirement from the world," is from c. 1600. Related: Cloistered; cloistering.
cloistral (adj.)
"of or pertaining to a cloister," c. 1600, from cloister + -al (1).
clomp (v.)
"to walk as with clogs," 1829, probably echoic or a variant of clump (v.). Related: Clomped; clomping.
clone (n.)
1903, in botany, "group of cultivated plants each of which is a transplanted part of one original," from Latinized form of Greek klōn "a twig, spray," related to klados "sprout, young branch, offshoot of a plant," possibly from PIE root *kel- (1) "to strike, cut" (see holt). Meaning "person or animal replicated from a single cell of another and genetically identical to it" is by 1970 (theoretical). Figurative use, "one who slavishly imitates another," is by 1978.
clone (v.)
1959, from clone (n.). Extension to genetic duplication of animals and human beings is from 1970. Related: Cloned; cloning.
clonic (adj.)
"pertaining to or exhibiting clonus," 1849; see clonus + -ic.
clonk (v.)
1930, imitative. Related: Clonked; clonking.
clonus (n.)
"violent muscular spasms, rapidly alternating contraction and relaxation of a muscle," 1817, from Modern Latin, from Greek klonos "turmoil, any violent motion; confusion, tumult, press of battle," a word of uncertain origin. Related: Clonicity.
Clootie (n.)
also Clutie, "the devil," 1785, Scottish, literally "hoofed," from cloot "hoof, division of a hoof" (1725), which is of uncertain origin, perhaps from a dialectal survival of Old Norse klo "claw" (see claw (n.)).
clop (v.)
1897, echoic of the sound of boots or hoofs on the ground. Related: Clopped; clopping.
Cloris
fem. proper name, from Chloris, Latin form of Greek Khloris, goddess of flowers (later identified with Roman Flora), literally "greenness, freshness," poetic fem. of khlōros "greenish-yellow, pale green; fresh," related to khloē "young green shoot," from PIE root *ghel- (2) "to shine," with derivatives denoting "green" and "yellow."
close (v.)
(klōz), c. 1200, "to shut, cover in," from Old French clos- (past participle stem of clore "to shut, to cut off from"), 12c., from Latin clausus, past participle of claudere "to shut, close; to block up, make inaccessible; put an end to; shut in, enclose, confine" (always -clusus, -cludere in compounds), from PIE root *klau- "hook," also "peg, nail, pin," all things used as locks or bolts in primitive structures.
Also partly from Old English beclysan "close in, shut up." Intransitive sense "become shut" is from late 14c. Meaning "draw near to" is from 1520s. Intransitive meaning "draw together, come together" is from 1550s, hence the idea in military verbal phrase close ranks (mid-17c.), later with figurative extensions. Meaning "bring to an end, finish" is from c. 1400; intransitive sense "come to an end" is from 1826. Of stock prices, from 1860. Meaning "bring together the parts of" (a book, etc.) is from 1560s. Related: Closed; closing.
close (adv.)
(klōs), "tightly, with no opening or space between," late 14c., from close (adj.).
closed (adj.)
"made shut, not open," c. 1200, past-participle adjective from close (v.). Closed circuit "complete, unbroken (electrical) circuit" is attested from 1827; closed shop "workplace in which only union members are employed" is from 1904; closed system first recorded 1896 in William James as "complete and unalterable system (of doctrines, etc.)." Later used in a physical sense, "system in which the total mass or energy remains constant."
close (adj.)
(klōs), late 14c., "strictly confined," also "secret," in part a past-participle adjective from close (v.), in part from Old French clos "confined; concealed, secret; taciturn" (12c.), from Latin clausus "close, reserved," past-participle adjective from claudere "stop up, fasten, shut" (see close (v.)). The main sense shifted to "near" (late 15c.) from the verbal sense of "close the gap or opening between two things." Related: Closely.
In English, the meaning "narrowly confined, pent up" is from late 14c. The meaning "near" in a figurative sense, of persons, is from 1560s. The sense of "full of attention to detail" is from 1660s. The sense of "stingy, penurious" is from 1650s. Of races or other contests, by 1855.
Close call "narrow escape" is from 1866, in a quotation in an anecdote from 1863, possibly a term from the American Civil War; close shave in the figurative sense is 1820, American English. Close range (n.) "a short distance" is from 1814. Close-minded is attested from 1818. Close-fisted "penurious, miserly" is from c. 1600, on the notion of "keeping the hands tightly shut."
closeness (n.)
mid-15c., "confined condition," from close (adj.) + -ness. Meaning "stuffiness" (of air) is from 1590s; meaning "nearness" is from 1716.
close (n.)
(klōz), late 14c., "act of closing, conclusion, termination," from close (v.). Also in early use "enclosure, enclosed space" (late 13c.), from Old French clos, noun use of the past participle. Specifically in music, "conclusion of a strain or passage," 1590s.
closing (n.)
late 14c., "act of closing; that which closes," verbal noun from close (v.). Closing-time is from 1841.
closely (adv.)
1550s, "secretly," from close (adj.) + -ly (2). From 1560s as "compactly," 1590s as "so as to enclose;" 1630s as "nearly."
close quarters (n.)
1722, originally nautical, also close-fights, "bulkheads fore and aft for men to stand behind in close engagements to fire on the enemy," it reflects the confusion of close (v.) and close (adj.); "now understood of proximity, but orig. 'closed' space on ship-board where last stand could be made against boarders" [Weekley]. Compare also closed-minded (1880s), a variant of close-minded, as if "shut" rather than "tight," also closed-fisted, occasional variant of close-fisted "stingy."
closer (n.)
"one who or that which closes" anything, 1610s, agent noun from close (v.).
closet (n.)
late 14c., "a small private room for study or prayer," from Old French closet "small enclosure, private room," diminutive of clos "enclosure," from Latin clausum "closed space, enclosure, confinement," from neuter past participle of claudere "to shut" (see close (v.)).
In Matthew vi.6 it renders Latin cubiculum "bedchamber, bedroom," Greek tamieion "chamber, inner chamber, secret room." Modern sense of "small side-room for storage" is first recorded 1610s.
The adjective is from 1680s, "private, done in seclusion;" from 1782 as "fitted only for scholarly seclusion, not adopted to the conditions of practical life." The meaning "secret, not public, unknown" is recorded from 1952, first of alcoholism but by 1970s used principally of homosexuality; the phrase come out of the closet "admit something openly" is first recorded 1963, and lent a new meaning to the word out.
closet (v.)
"shut up as in a closet" (originally usually for purposes of concealment or private consultation), 1680s, from closet (n.). Related: Closeted; closeting. Closeted in the sense of "in private and confidential consultation" is from 1680s.
close-up (n.)
1913, in photography, etc.; see close (adv.) + up (adv.).
closure (n.)
late 14c., "a barrier, a fence," from Old French closure "enclosure; that which encloses, fastening, hedge, wall, fence," also closture "barrier, division; enclosure, hedge, fence, wall" (12c., Modern French clôture), from Late Latin clausura "lock, fortress, a closing" (source of Italian chiusura), from past participle stem of Latin claudere "to close" (see close (v.)).
Sense of "act of closing, a bringing to a close" is from early 15c. In legislation, especially "closing or stopping of debate" (compare cloture). Sense of "tendency to create ordered and satisfying wholes" is 1924, from Gestalt psychology.
clot (n.)
Old English clott "a round mass, lump," from Proto-Germanic *klutto- (source also of Dutch kloot "ball," Danish klods "a block, lump," German Klotz "lump, block"); probably related to or confused with cleat and clod (q.v.). Of blood from 1610s,
clot (v.)
"to form in a coagulated mass," early 15c., from clot (n.). Of fluids (especially blood) from 1590s. Related: Clotted; clotting. Clotted cream (1799) originally was clouted cream (1540s).
clothe (v.)
"to put on garments; provide with clothing," Old English claðian, from claþ (see cloth). Related: Clothed, clothing. Other Old English words for this were scrydan and gewædian. Figurative sense "cover as with clothing" is from c. 1300.
clothes (n.)
Old English claðas "cloths; garments for the body," originally the plural of clað "cloth" (see cloth), which, in 19c., after the sense of "article of clothing" had mostly faded from it, acquired a new plural form, cloths, to distinguish it from this word. Clothes-hanger attested from 1860.
cloth (n.)
"woven fabric, pliable stuff made of intertexture of threads or fibers," Old English claþ "a cloth, sail, cloth covering, woven or felted material to wrap around one," hence, also, "garment," from Proto-Germanic *kalithaz (source also of Old Frisian klath "cloth," Middle Dutch cleet, Dutch kleed "garment, dress," Middle High German kleit, German Kleid "garment"), which is of obscure origin, perhaps a substratum word.
As an adjective, "made or consisting of cloth," from 1590s. Meaning "distinctive clothing worn by some group" (servants of one house, men of some profession or trade) is from 1590s, hence The cloth "the clerical profession" (1701).
clothing (n.)
c. 1200, "action of dressing in clothes," verbal noun from clothe. From late 13c. as "clothes collectively, raiment, apparel;" 1590s as an adjective.
clothes-horse (n.)
also clothes horse, "upright wooden frame for hanging clothes to dry," 1788, from clothes + horse (n.) in its secondary sense "that upon which something is mounted." Figurative sense of "person whose sole function seems to be to show off clothes" is 1850. Clothes-screen, which had the same literal sense, is attested in the figurative sense from 1830.
clothes-line (n.)
also clothesline, 1830, from clothes + line (n.). As a kind of high tackle in U.S. football (the effect is similar to running into a taut clothesline) attested by 1970; as a verb in this sense by 1959.
clothes-pin (n.)
also clothespin, "forked piece of wood or small spring-clip for fastening clothes to a clothes-line," by 1834, American English, from clothes + pin (n.). Clothes-peg in the same sense attested from 1812.
clothier (n.)
"maker or seller of cloth or clothes," mid-14c., clother; late 15c., clothyer (late 13c. as a surname), Middle English agent noun from cloth; also see -ier, which is unetymological in this word and probably acquired by bad influence.
Clothilde
fem. proper name, via French, from German Klothilde, literally "famous in battle," from Old High German *klod "famous" (related to Old English hlud; see loud (adj.)) + hild "battle" (see Hilda).
Clotho
one of the three Fates, from Latin Clotho, from Greek Klōthō, literally "the spinner," from klōthein "to spin," which Beekes considers to be pre-Greek. The three Fates together sometimes were called Klōthes "the spinners."
cloture (n.)
1871, the French word for "closure, the action of closing," applied to debates in the French Assembly ("action of closing (debate) by will of a majority"), then to the House of Commons and U.S. Congress, from French clôture, from Old French closture (see closure). It was especially used in English by those opposed to the tactic.
cloud (v.)
early 15c., "overspread with clouds, cover, darken," from cloud (n.). From 1510s as "to render dim or obscure;" 1590s as "to overspread with gloom." Intransitive sense of "become cloudy" is from 1560s. Related: Clouded; clouding.
cloud (n.)
Old English clud "mass of rock, hill," related to clod.
The modern sense "rain-cloud, mass of evaporated water visible and suspended in the sky" is a metaphoric extension that begins to appear c. 1300 in southern texts, based on similarity of cumulus clouds and rock masses. The usual Old English word for "cloud" was weolcan (see welkin). In Middle English, skie also originally meant "cloud." The last entry for cloud in the original rock mass sense in Middle English Compendium is from c. 1475.
The four fundamental types of cloud classification (cirrus, cumulus, stratus, nimbus) were proposed by British amateur meteorologist Luke Howard (1772-1864) in 1802.
Meaning "cloud-like mass of smoke or dust" is from late 14c. Figuratively, as something that obscures, darkens, threatens, or casts a shadow, from c. 1300; hence under a cloud (c. 1500). In the clouds "removed from earthly things; obscure, fanciful, unreal" is from 1640s. Cloud-compeller translates (poetically) Greek nephelegereta, a Homeric epithet of Zeus.
cloud-burst (n.)
also cloudburst, "violent downpour of much rain over a small area," 1817, American English, from cloud (n.) + burst (n.). It parallels German Wolkenbruch.
Cloud Cuckoo Land
imaginary city built in air, 1830, translating Aristophanes' Nephelokokkygia in "The Birds" (414 B.C.E.). Cloud-land "place above the earth or away from the practical things of life, dreamland, the realm of fancy" is attested from 1840.
cloudy (adj.)
Old English cludig "rocky, hilly, full of cliffs;" see cloud (n.). Meaning "of the nature of atmospheric clouds" is recorded from c. 1300; meaning "full of clouds, overcast" is late 14c.; of liquids, etc., "not transparent, not clear," from 1580s. Figurative sense of "gloomy" is late 14c. Related: Cloudiness; cloudily.
cloudless (adj.)
"without clouds, unobscured," 1590s, from cloud (n.) + -less. Related: Cloudlessly; cloudlessness.
cloudlet (n.)
"a small cloud," 1788, from cloud (n.) + diminutive suffix -let.