A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

clink (n.) --- prison, 1770s, originally (1515) that on Clink Street in Southwark; probably influenced by clinch, clench.

clink (v.) --- c.1386, echoic.

clinker --- 1769, from klincard (1641), a type of paving brick made in Holland, from Du. klinkaerd, from klinken "to ring" (as it does when struck), from M.Du., of imitative origin. The meaning "stupid mistake" is first recorded 1950 in Amer.Eng.; originally (1942) "a wrong note in music."

Clio --- muse of history, from L. Clio, from Gk. Kleio "the proclaimer," from kleiein "to tell of, celebrate, make famous," from kleos "fame, glory," from PIE *klew-yo, from base *kleu- "to hear" (see listen). Related to the -kles in Damocles, etc.

clip (1) --- cut, c.1200, from O.N. klippa, probably echoic. Meaning "rate of speed is c.1867. Noun meaning "extract from a movie" is from 1958.

clip (2) --- fasten, O.E. clyppan "to embrace." Meaning "receptacle containing several cartridges for a repeating firearm" is from 1901. Meaning "piece of jewelry fastened by a clip" is from 1937. Also preserved in paper clip. Original sense in U.S. football clipping penalty. Clipboard is from 1907.

clipper --- c.1330, from clippen "shorten," perhaps infl. by M.Du. klepper "swift horse," echoic. The type of fast sailing ship so called from 1830, from clip (1) in alternate sense of "to move or run rapidly."

clique --- 1711, from Fr. clique, from O.Fr. cliquer "to make a noise," echoic. Apparently this word was at one time treated as the equivalent of claque.

clitoris --- 1615, coined in Mod.L., from Gk. kleitoris, a diminutive, but the exact sense is uncertain. Probably from Gk. kleiein "to sheathe," also "to shut," in reference to its being covered by the labia minora. The related noun form kleis has a second meaning of "a key, a latch or hook (to close a door)." Wooden pegs were the original keys; a connection also revealed in L. clovis "nail" and claudere "to shut" (see close (v.)). Some medical sources give a supposed Gk. verb kleitoriazein "to touch or titillate lasciviously, to tickle," lit. "to be inclined (toward pleasure)" (cf. Ger. slang der Kitzler "clitoris," lit. "the tickler"), related to Gk. kleitys, a variant of klitys "side of a hill," related to klinein "to slope," from the same root as climax. But many sources take kleitoris literally as Gk. "little hill." The It. 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 to women since much earlier, of course. Slang abbreviation clit first attested 1960s.

cloaca --- 1656, Mod.L., euphemism for "sewer," from L. cloaca "sewer," from cluere "to cleanse," from PIE base *klu- "to rinse, clean."

cloak --- 1293, from O.N.Fr. cloque, from M.L. clocca "travelers' cape," lit. "a bell," so called from the garment's bell-like appearance (see bell). The verb is from 1509. Cloak and dagger (1806) translates Fr. de cape et d'épée. Cloakroom is from 1852.

clobber --- 1941, British air force slang, probably related to bombing; possibly echoic.

clock --- 1371, clokke, orig. "clock with bells," probably from M.Du. klocke, from M.L. (7c.) clocca "bell," from Celt., probably spread by Irish missionaries, ultimately of imitative origin. Replaced O.E. dægmæl, from dæg "day" + mæl "measure, mark." The slang verb sense of "hit, sock" is 1941, originally Australian, probably from earlier slang clock (n.) "face" (1923). O'clock for of the clock is c.1720.

clod --- O.E. clod- (in clod-hamer "field-goer"), from P.Gmc. *kludda-, from PIE *g(e)leu, from base *gel- "to make round." Synonymous with clot until 18c. Clodhopper "rustic" first attested 1690, originally "plowman."

clog --- c.1325, clogge "a lump of wood," origin unknown. The sense of "wooden-soled shoe" is first recorded 1416, probably originally meaning the wooden sole itself. The sense of "hinder" is from 1398, originally by fastening a block of wood to something; meaning "choke up" is 17c.

cloister --- c.1300, from O.Fr. clostre or O.E. clauster, both from M.L. claustrum "portion of monastery closed off to laity," from L. claustrum "place shut in, bar, bolt, enclosure," from pp. stem of claudere (see close (v.)). Sense of "enclosed space" extended to "place of religious seclusion." The verb is recorded from 1581.

clomp --- to walk as with clogs, 1829, probably a variant of clump (v.).

clone (n.) --- 1903, in botany, from Gk. klon "a twig." The verb is first recorded 1959. Extension to genetic duplication of human beings is from 1970.

Cloris --- fem. proper name, from L. Chloris, L. form of Gk. Khloros, goddess of flowers, later identified with Roman Flora. The Gk. word is related to khloe "young green shoot" (see Chloe).

close (adj.) --- c.1325, "strictly confined," also "secret," from O.Fr. clos "confined," from L. clausus, pp. of claudere "stop up, fasten, shut" (see close (v.)); sense shifting to "near" (1488) by way of "closing the gap between two things." Close call is 1881; close shave is 1834; close quarters is 1753, originally nautical. Close-up (n.) in photography, etc., is from 1913.

close (v.) --- c.1205, "to shut, cover in," from O.Fr. clos- pp. stem of clore "shut," from L. clausus, pp. of claudere "to close, block up, put an end to, enclose, confine," from PIE base *klau- "hook, crooked or forked branch" (used as a bar or bolt in primitive structures); cf. L. clavis "key," clavus "nail," claustrum "bar, bolt, barrier," claustra "dam, wall, barricade, stronghold;" Gk. kleidos "bar, bolt, key," klobos "cage;" O.Ir. clo "nail;" O.C.S. kljucu "hook, key," kljuciti "shut;" Lith. kliuti "to catch, be caught on," kliaudziu "check, hinder," kliuvu "clasp, hang;" O.H.G. sliozan "shut," Ger. schließen "shut," Schüßel "key;" M.Ir. clithar "hedge, fence." Replaced O.E. beclysan.

closet --- c.1340, from O.Fr. closet "small enclosure," dim. of clos, from L. clausum "closed space," from neut. pp. of claudere "to shut" (see close (v.)). In Matt. vi:6 used to render L. cubiculum, Gk. tamieion; originally in Eng. "a private room for study or prayer;" modern sense of "small side-room for storage" is first recorded 1616. The adjective meaning "secret, unknown" recorded from 1952, first of alcoholism, but by 1970s used principally of homosexuality; the phrase come out of the closet "admit something openly" first recorded 1963, and led to new meanings for the word out.

closure --- c.1390, from O.Fr. closure "that which encloses," from L. clausura "lock, fortress, a closing," from pp. stem of claudere "to close" (see close (v.)). Originally "a fence," sense of "bringing to a close" is from 1423. Sense of "tendency to create ordered and satisfying wholes" is 1924, from Gestalt psychology.

clot --- O.E. clott, akin to Du. kloot "ball" (see clod). The verb, of fluids, is from 1591.

cloth --- O.E. clað "a cloth," hence, "garment," from P.Gmc. *kalithaz, origin obscure. The cloth "the clerical profession" first attested 1701.

clothe --- O.E. claþian (see cloth).

clothes --- O.E. claðas "clothes," originally pl. of clað "cloth," which acquired a new pl., cloths, 19c. to distinguish it from this word. Clothespin is from 1846; clothing is from c.1200; clothier is from 1362. Clothes-horse "upright wooden frame for hanging clothes to dry" is from 1806; figurative sense of "person whose sole function seems to be to show off clothes" is 1850.

cloture --- 1871, the Fr. word for "the action of closing," applied to debates in the Fr. Assembly, from Fr. clôture, from O.Fr. closture, from L. claustura.

cloud --- O.E. clud "mass of rock," from P.Gmc. *kludas, metaphoric extension 13c. based on similarity of cumulus clouds and rock masses. O.E. word for "cloud" was weolcan. Cloudy is O.E. cludig (in the rock sense), in the water vapor sense, c.1300. Cloudburst (1817, Amer.Eng.) parallels Ger. Wolkenbruch. The imaginary city Cloud Cuckoo Land, built in air, is from Aristophanes' Nephelokokkygia in "The Birds" (414 B.C.E.). Cloud nine is 1950s, Amer.Eng., of uncertain origin or significance. There was a similar association of cloud seven, but some connect the phrase with the 1896 International Cloud-Atlas, long the basic source for cloud shapes, in which, of the ten cloud types, cloud No. 9, cumulonimbus, was the biggest, puffiest, most comfortable-looking.

clout --- O.E. clut "lump of something," also "patch of cloth put over a hole to mend it," from P.Gmc. *klutaz. Sense of "a blow" is from early 14c., but the metaphor is obscure. Sense of "personal influence" is 1958.

clove (1) --- spice, 1225, from O.Fr. clou (de girofle) "nail (of clove)," so called from its shape, from L. clavus "a nail" (see slot (2)).

clove (2) --- slice of garlic, O.E. clufu, from P.Gmc. *klubo "cleft, thing cloven."

cloven --- see cleave (1).

clover --- O.E. clafre, from P.Gmc. *klaibron. First ref. in Eng. to luck of a four-leaf clover is from 1507. To be in clover "live luxuriously" is 1710, "clover being extremely delicious and fattening to cattle" [Johnson].

Clovis --- type of prehistoric stone spearpoints, 1943, from Clovis, N.M., near where they were found.

clown --- 1560s, origin uncertain. Perhaps from Scand. dial., or akin to N.Fris. klonne "clumsy person," or, less likely, from L. colonus "colonist, farmer," hence, "rustic, boor," which apparently was the earliest Eng. sense.

cloy --- 1530, aphetic of Anglo-Norm. acloyer, from O.Fr. enclouer "to fasten with a nail, hinder, cripple a horse by driving a nail into the hoof," from clou "a nail," from V.L. inclavare, from L. clavus "a nail" (see slot (2)). Meaning "to fill to loathing, surfeit" is first recorded 1530.

club --- 1205, from O.N. klubba "cudgel," from P.Gmc. *klumbon; the sense "to associate" is first attested 1670, apparently for "form a mass like the thick end of a club." Specific sense of "bat used in games" is from c.1450. The club at cards (1563) is the right name for the suit (It. bastone), even though the pattern adopted is the Fr. trefoil. Club sandwich first recorded 1903; club soda is 1877, originally a proprietary name. Club-foot is from 1538. "I got a good mind to join a club and beat you over the head with it." [Rufus T. Firefly]

cluck --- O.E. cloccian originally echoic. Cf. Turkish culuk, one of the words for "turkey."

clue --- phonetic variant of clew (q.v.) "a ball of thread or yarn," with reference to the one Theseus used as a guide out of the Labyrinth. The purely figurative sense of "that which points the way" is from 1628. Clueless is from 1862.

clump --- 1586, from Du. klomp "lump, mass," or Low Ger. klump. O.E. had clympre "lump, mass of metal." The verb "to tread heavily" is first recorded 1665.

clumsy --- 1597, from M.E. clumsid "numb with cold," pp. of clumsen "to benumb," from O.N. klumsa, intens. of kluma "to make motionless."

cluster (n.) --- O.E. clyster "cluster," probably from the same root as clot. The verb is from 1398. Clusterfuck "bungled or confused undertaking" is from 1969, U.S. military slang, earlier "orgy" (1966).

clutch (n.) --- of chickens, eggs, 1721, from clekken "to hatch," probably from a Scand. source (cf. O.N. klekja "to hatch").

clutch (v.) --- O.E. clyccan "bring together, bend (the fingers), clench," infl. in meaning by M.E. cloke "a claw." Automotive engine part (n.) is 1814, with the "seizing" sense extended to "coupling for bringing working parts together." Originally of mill-works, first used of motor vehicles 1899.

clutter --- 1556, var. of clotern "to form clots, to heap on," sense of "litter" is first recorded 1666. (see clot).

Clydesdale --- breed of heavy draught horses, 1786, so called because they were bred in the valley of the Clyde in Scotland.

Clytaemnestra --- wife and murderess of Agamemnon, from Gk. Klytaimnestra, from klytos "celebrated, heard of" + mnester "wooer, suitor," lit. "willing to mind, mindful of," related to mnasthai "to remember."

co- --- see com-.

coach --- 1556, "large kind of carriage," from M.Fr. coche, from Ger. kotsche, from Hung. kocsi (szekér) "(carriage) of Kocs," village where it was first made. In Hungary, the thing and the name for it date from 15c., and forms are found in most European languages. Applied to railway cars 1866, Amer.Eng. Sense of "economy or tourist class" is from 1949. Meaning "instructor/trainer" is c.1830 Oxford University slang for a tutor who "carries" a student through an exam; athletic sense is 1861.

coagulate --- 1477 (coagulation), from M.Fr. coaguler, from L. coagulatus, pp. of coagulare "to cause to curdle," from cogere "to curdle, collect" (see cogent).

coal --- O.E. col "charcoal, live coal," from P.Gmc. *kula(n), from PIE base *g(e)u-lo- "live coal." Meaning "mineral consisting of fossilized carbon" is from 1253. First mentioned (370 B.C.E.) by Theophrastus in his treatise "On Stones" under the name lithos anthrakos (see anthrax). Traditionally good luck, coal was given as a New Year's gift in England, said to guarantee a warm hearth for the coming year. The phrase drag (or rake) over the coals was a reference to the treatment meted out to heretics by Christians. To carry coals to Newcastle (1606) Anglicizes Gk. glauk eis Athenas "owls to Athens."

coalesce --- 1541, from L. coalescere, from com- "together" + alescere "to grow up" (see adolescent).

coalition --- 1612, "the growing together of parts," from Fr. coalition, from L.L. coalitus "fellowship," originally pp. of L. coalescere (see coalesce). First used in a political sense 1715.

coarse --- 1424, cors "ordinary," probably adj. use of noun cours (see course), originally referring to rough cloth for ordinary wear. Developed a sense of "rude" c.1510 and "obscene" 1711. Perhaps related, via metathesis, to Fr. gros, which had a similar sense development.

coast --- c.1125, from O.Fr. coste "shore, coast," from L. costa "a rib," developing a sense in M.L. of the shore as the "side" of the land. Fr. also used this word for "hillside, slope," which led to verb use of "sled downhill," first attested 1775 in Amer.Eng. Coaster "round stand for a decanter" is first attested 1887, possibly from a resemblance to sleds or because it "coasts" around the table to each guest after dinner.

coat --- c.1300, "outer garment," from O.Fr. cote, from Frank. *kotta "coarse cloth," of unknown origin. Transferred to animal's natural covering c.1390. Extended 1663 to a layer of any substance covering any surface. A coat of arms (1489) was originally a coat with heraldic devices, worn over armor. To turncoat was to put one's coat on inside-out to hide one's badge. Coat-tail is c.1600; in the political slang sense, first recorded 1848 (in a Congressional speech by Abraham Lincoln, in reference to Andrew Jackson).

coax --- 1586, originally in slang phrase to make a coax of, from earlier noun coax, cox, cokes "a fool, ninny, simpleton;" modern spelling is 1706. Origin obscure, perhaps related to cock.

coaxial --- 1904, as a term in mathematics; coaxial cable is 1934. See com- + axis.

cob --- The N.E.D. recognizes eight nouns cob, with numerous sub-groups. Like other monosyllables common in the dial. its hist. is inextricable [Weekley]. In the latest edition, the number stands at 11. Some senses are probably from O.E. copp "top, head," others probably from O.N. kubbi or Low Ger., all perhaps from a P.Gmc. base *kubb- "something rounded."

cobalt --- 1683, from Ger. kobold "goblin," Harz Mountains silver miners' term for rock laced with arsenic and sulphur (so called because it made them ill), from M.H.G. kobe "hut, shed" + *holt "goblin," from hold "gracious, friendly," complimentary words used to avoid the wrath of troublesome beings. The metal was extracted from this rock. It was known to Paracelsus, but discovery is usually credited to Brandt (1733). Extended to a blue color 1835.

cobble (n.) --- paving stone, c.1375, probably a dim. of cob.

cobble (v.) --- to mend clumsily, 1496, probably from cob, perhaps via a notion of lumps.

cobbler --- 1287, cobelere "one who mends shoes," of uncertain origin. "The cobbler should stick to his last" (ne sutor ultra crepidam) is from the anecdote of Gk. painter Apelles. [The quote is variously reported: Pliny ("Natural History" XXXV.x.36) has ne supra crepidam judicaret, while Valerius Maximus (VIII.xiii.3) gives supra plantam ascendere vetuit.] The meaning "pie" is Amer.Eng. 1859, perhaps related to 14c. cobeler "wooden bowl."

COBOL --- 1960, U.S. Defense Department acronym, from "Common Business-Oriented Language."

cobra --- 1802, from Port. cobra (de capello) "serpent (of the hood)," from L. colubra "a snake," of uncertain origin. The word came to Eng. via Portuguese colonies in India, where the native name is nag.

cobweb --- 1323, first element is O.E. -coppe in atorcoppe "spider," lit. "poison-head" (see attercop). Cob for "a spider" was an old word nearly dead even in dialects when J.R.R. Tolkien used it in "The Hobbit" (1937).

coca --- 1616, from Sp. coca, from Quechua cuca. Coca-Cola invented in Atlanta, Ga., 1886, by druggist Dr. John S. Pemberton. So called because original ingredients were derived from coca leaves and cola nuts, it contained minute amounts of cocaine until 1909. Coca-colanization coined 1950. "Drink the brain tonic and intellectual soda fountain beverage Coca-Cola." [Atlanta "Evening Journal," June 30, 1887].

cocaine --- 1874, from Fr. cocaine (1856), coined by Albert Niemann of Gottingen University from coca (from Quechua cuca) + -ine, arbitrary use of L. -inus, -ina for noun ending. A medical coinage, the drug was used 1870s as a local anaesthetic for eye surgery, etc.

coccyx --- 1615, from Gk. kokkyx "cuckoo" (from kokku, like the bird's Eng. name echoic of its cry), so called by ancient Gk. physician Galen because the bone in humans supposedly resembles a cuckoo's beak.

cochineal --- 1586, from Fr. cochenille, from Sp. cochinilla "wood louse," or It. cocciniglia, from Mod.L. coccinum "scarlet robe," coccineus "scarlet-colored," from coccum "scarlet," lit. "grain, berry." Coccum is cognate with Gk. kokkos, which had the same senses. The crushed insect dye was once wrongly supposed to be from the grain or berry of a plant. The insect lives on plants in Mexico and Central America. Aztecs and other Mexican Indians used it as a dyestuff; it first is mentioned in Europe in 1523 in Sp. correspondence to Hernán Cortés in Mexico. Specimens were brought to Spain in the 1520s, and cloth merchants in Antwerp were buying cochineal in insect and powdered form in Spain by the 1540s. Replaced the kermes insect as a source of red dye in Europe. So important was this source of scarlet dye that derivatives of the name for it have displaced the original word for "red" in many languages, e.g. Welsh coch, Mod.Gk. kokkinos. Cf. also crimson, vermilion.

cochlea --- 1688, "spiral cavity of the inner ear," from L. cochlea "snail shell," from Gk. kokhlias "snail, screw," etc., from kokhlos "spiral shell."

cock (n1.) --- O.E. cocc, O.Fr. coq, O.N. kokkr, all of echoic origin. O.E. cocc was a nickname for "one who strutted like a cock," thus a common term in the Middle Ages for a pert boy, used of scullions, apprentices, servants, etc. A common personal name till c.1500, it was affixed to Christian names as a pet diminutive, cf. Wilcox, Hitchcock, etc. Slang sense of "penis" is attested since 1618 (but cf. pillicock "penis," from c.1300). Cock-teaser is from 1891. Cock-sucker is used curiously for aggressively obnoxious men; the ancients would have understood the difference between passive and active roles; Catullus, writing of his boss, employs the useful L. insult irrumator, which means "someone who forces others to give him oral sex," hence "one who treats people with contempt." Cocky "arrogantly pert" (1768) originally meant "lecherous" (16c.); modern sense of "vain" is 18c. A cocker spaniel (1823) was trained to start woodcocks. Cock-and-bull is first recorded 1621, perhaps an allusion to Aesop's fables, with their incredible talking animals, or to a particular story, now forgotten. Fr. has parallel expression coq-à-l'âne.

cock (n2.) --- in various mechanical senses, such as cock of a faucet (1481) is of uncertain connection with cock (n1.), but Ger. has hahn "hen" in many of the same senses. The cock of an old matchlock firearm is 1566, hence half-cocked "with the cock lifted to the first catch, at which position the trigger does not act."

cock (v.) --- seeming contradictory senses of "to stand up" (as in cock one's ear), c.1600, and "to bend" (1898) are from the two cock nouns. The first is probably in reference to the posture of the bird's head or tail, the second to the firearm position. Also, cockeyed (1821 in a literal sense; the meaning "askew, foolish" is first recorded 1896). To cock ones hat carries the notion of "defiant boastfulness" also in M.E. cocken (c.1150) "to fight."

cockade --- 1709, from Fr. cocarde, fem. of cocard "foolishly proud, cocky," an allusive extension from coq (see cock (n1.)).

cock-a-doodle-doo --- 1573, imitative; cf. Fr. cocorico, Ger. kikeriki, L. cucurire, Rus. kikareku, Vietnamese cuc-cu, Arabic ko-ko, etc.

cockaigne --- c.1305, from O.Fr. coquaigne "lubberland," imaginary country, abode of luxury and idleness. Of obscure origin, speculation centers on words related to cook (v.) and cake (cf. Big Rock Candy Mountain).

cockamamie --- slang popularized c.1960, but originally perhaps c.1920 alt. of decalcomania (see decal).

cockatoo --- 1616, from Du. kaketoe, from Malay kakatua, possibly echoic, or from kakak "elder brother or sister" + tua "old." Also cockatiel (1880), from Du. dim. kaketielje (1850), which is perhaps influenced by Portuguese.

cockatrice --- 1382, from O.Fr. cocatris, altered by influence of coq from L.L. *calcatrix, from L. calcare "to tread" (calx "heel"), as translation of Gk. ikhneumon, lit. "tracker, tracer." In classical writings, an Egyptian animal of some sort, the mortal enemy of the crocodile, which it tracks down and kills. This vague sense became hopelessly confused in the Christian West, and in England the word ended up applied to the equivalent of the basilisk (q.v.). A serpent hatched from a cock's egg, it was fabled to kill by its glance and could only be slain by tricking it into seeing its own reflection. Belief in them persisted even among the educated because the word was used in the KJV several times to translate a Heb. word for "serpent." In heraldry, half cock, half serpent. Identified variously with the basilisk and the crocodile.

cockle --- 1311, "mollusk," from O.Fr. coquille "a blister, shell, cockle," alt. by infl. of cock, from L. conchylium, from Gk. konkhylion "little shellfish," from konkhe "mussel, conch." Phrase cockles of the heart (1669) is perhaps from similar shape, or from L. corculum, dim. of cor "heart." Unrelated O.E. coccel was the name of a flowering weed that grows in wheatfields and was used in M.E. to translate the Bible word now usually given as tares. It is in no other Gmc. language and may be from a dim. of L. coccus "grain, berry."

cockney --- 1600, from M.E. cokenei "spoiled child, milksop," orig. cokene-ey "cock's egg" (1362). Most likely disentangling of the etymology is to start from O.E. cocena "cock's egg" -- gen. pl. of coc "cock" + æg "egg" -- medieval term for "runt of a clutch," extended derisively c.1521 to "town dweller," gradually narrowing thereafter to residents of a particular neighborhood in the East End of London. The accent so called from 1890, but speech peculiarities were noted from 17c.

cockpit --- 1587, "a pit for fighting cocks." Used in nautical sense (1706) for midshipmen's compartment below decks; transferred to airplanes (1914) and to cars (1930s).

cockroach --- 1624, folk etymology of Sp. cucaracha "chafer, beetle," from cuca "kind of caterpillar." Folk etymology is from caca "excrement." "A certaine India Bug, called by the Spaniards a Cacarootch, the which creeping into Chests they eat and defile with their ill-sented dung" [Capt. John Smith, "Virginia," 1624].