Chapter C: G. T (10)

3. The bend or turn over the point of (something that has been driven trough an object), so that it will hold fast; as, to clinch a nail.

4. To make conclusive; to confirm; to establish; as, to clinch an argument. South.

CLINCH Clinch, v. i.

Defn: To hold fast; to grasp something firmly; to seize or grasp one another.

CLINCH Clinch, n.

1. The act or process of holding fast; that which serves to hold fast; a grip; a grasp; a clamp; a holdfast; as, to get a good clinch of an antagonist, or of a weapon; to secure anything by a clinch.

2. A pun. Pope.

3. (Naut.)

Defn: A hitch or bend by which a rope is made fast to the ring of an anchor, or the breeching of a ship's gun to the ringbolts.

CLINCHER Clinch"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, clinches; that which holds fast. Pope.

2. That which ends a dispute or controversy; a decisive argument.

CLINCHER-BUILT Clinch"er-built, a.

Defn: See Clinker-built.

CLING Cling, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Clung, Clong (Obs.); p. pr. & vb. n. Clinging.] Etym: [AS. clingan to adhere, to wither; akin to Dan. klynge to cluster, crowd. Cf. Clump.]

Defn: To adhere closely; to stick; to hold fast, especially by twining round or embracing; as, the tendril of a vine clings to its support; -- usually followed by to or together. And what hath life for thee That thou shouldst cling to it thus Mrs. Hemans.

CLING Cling, v. t.

1. To cause to adhere to, especially by twining round or embraching. [Obs.] I clung legs as close to his side as I could. Swift.

2. To make to dry up or wither. [Obs.] If thou speak'st false, Upon the next tree shalt thou hang alive, Till famine cling thee. Shak.

CLING Cling, n.

Defn: Adherence; attachment; devotion. [R.] A more tenacious cling to worldly respects. Milton.

CLINGSTONE Cling"stone`, a.

Defn: Having the flesh attached closely to the stone, as in some kinds of peaches. -- n.

Defn: A fruit, as a peach, whose flesh adheres to the stone.

CLINGY Cling"y, a.

Defn: Apt to cling; adhesive. [R.]

CLINIC Clin"ic, n. Etym: [See Clinical.]

1. One confined to the bed by sickness.

2. (Eccl.)

Defn: One who receives baptism on a sick bed. [Obs.] Hook.

3. (Med.)

Defn: A school, or a session of a school or class, in which medicine or surgery is taught by the examination and treatment of patients in the presence of the pupils.

CLINICAL; CLINIC Clin"ic*al, Clin"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. clinique. See Lean, v. i.]

1. Of or pertaining to a bed, especially, a sick bed.

2. Of or pertaining to a clinic, or to the study of disease in the living subject. Clinical baptism, baptism administered to a person on a sick bed. -- Clinical instruction, instruction by means of clinics. -- Clinical lecture (Med.), a discourse upon medical topics illustrared by the exhibition and examination of living patients. -- Clinical medicine, Clinical surgery, that part of medicine or surgery which is occupied with the investigation of disease in the living subject.

CLINICALLY Clin"ic*al*ly, adv.

Defn: In a clinical manner.

CLINIQUE Cli*nique", n. Etym: [F.] (Med.)

Defn: A clinic.

CLINIUM Clin"i*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: See Clinanthium.

CLINK Clink, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Clinked; p. pr. & vb. n. Clinking.] Etym: [OE. clinken; akin to G. klingen, D. klinken, SW. klinga, Dan. klinge; prob. of imitative origin. Cf. Clank, Clench, Click, v. i.]

Defn: To cause to give out a slight, sharp, tinkling, sound, as by striking metallic or other sonorous bodies together. And let me the canakin clink. Shak.

CLINK Clink, v. i.

1. To give out a slight, sharp, thinkling sound. "The clinking latch." Tennyson.

2. To rhyme. [Humorous]. Cowper.

CLINK Clink, n.

Defn: A slight, sharp, tinkling sound, made by the collision of sonorous bodies. "Clink and fall of swords." Shak.

CLINKANT Clin"kant, a.

Defn: See Clnquant.

CLINKER Clink"er, n. Etym: [From clink; cf. D. clinker a brick which is so hard that it makes a sonorous sound, from clinken to clink. Cf. Clinkstone.]

1. A mass composed of several bricks run together by the action of the fire in the kiln.

2. Scoria or vitrified incombustible matter, formed in a grate or furnace where anthracite coal in used; vitrified or burnt matter ejected from a volcano; slag.

3. A scale of oxide of iron, formed in forging.

4. A kind of brick. See Dutch klinker, under Dutch.

CLINKER-BUILT Clink"er-built, a. (Naut.)

Defn: Having the side planks (af a boat) so arranged that the lower edge of each overlaps the upper edge of the plank next below it like clapboards on a house. See Lapstreak.

CLINKSTONE Clink"stone` (; 110), n. Etym: [Clink + stone; -- from its sonorousness.] (Min.)

Defn: An igneous rock of feldspathic composition, lamellar in structure, and clinking under the hammer. See Phonolite.

CLINODIAGONAL Cli`no*di*ag"o*nal, n. Etym: [Gr. diagonal.] (Crystallog.)

Defn: That diagonal or lateral axis in a monoclinic crystal which makes an oblique angle witch the vertical axis. See Crystallization. -- a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or the direction of, the clinidiagonal.

CLINODOME Cli"no*dome`, n. Etym: [Gr. dome.] (Crystallog.)

Defn: See under Dome.

CLINOGRAPHIC Cli"no*graph"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. + -graph.]

Defn: Pertaining to that mode of projection in drawing in which the rays of light are supposed to fall obliquely on the plane of projection.

CLINOID Cli"noid, a. Etym: [Gr. -oid.] (Anat.)

Defn: Like a bed; -- applied to several processes on the inner side of the sphenoid bone.

CLINOMETER Cli*nom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter.] (Geol.)

Defn: An instrument for determining the dip of beds or strata, pr the slope of an embankment or cutting; a kind of plumb level. Dana.

CLINOMETRIC Clin`o*met"ric, a.

1. Pertaining to, or ascertained by, the clinometer.

2. Pertaining to the oblique crystalline forms, or to solids which have oblique angles between the axes; as, the clinometric systems.

CLINOMETRY Cli*nom"e*try, n. (geol.)

Defn: That art or operation of measuring the inclination of strata.

CLINOPINACOID Cli`no*pin"a*coid, n. Etym: [Gr. pinacoid.] (Crystallog.)

Defn: The plane in crystals of the monoclinic system which is parallel to the vertical and the inclined lateral (clinidiagonal) axes.

CLINORHOMBIC Cli`no*rhom"bic, a. Etym: [Gr. rhombic: cf. F. clinorhombique.] (Crystallog.)

Defn: Possessing the qualities of a prism, obliquely inclined to a rhombic base; monoclinic.

CLINOSTAT Cli"no*stat, n. [Gr. to incline + to make to stand.] (Bot.)

Defn: An apparatus consisting of a slowly revolving disk, usually regulated by clockwork, by means of wich the action of external agents, as light and gravity, on growing plants may be regulated or eliminated.

CLINQUANT Clin"quant, a. Etym: [F.]

Defn: Glittering; dressed in, or overlaid with, tinsel finery. [Obs.] Shak.

CLINQUANT Clin"quant, n.

Defn: Tinse;l; Dutch gold.

CLIO Cli"o, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Class. Myth.)

Defn: The Muse who presided over history.

CLIONE Cli*o"ne, n.

Defn: A genus of naked pteropods. One species (Clione papilonacea), abundant in the Arctic Ocean, constitutes a part of the food of the Greenland whale. It is sometimes incorrectly called Clio.

CLIP Clip, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Clipped (; p. pr. & vb. n. Clipping.] Etym: [OE. cluppen, clippen, to embrace, AS. clyran to embrace, clasp; cf. OHG. kluft tongs, shears, Icel, klypa to pinch, squeeze, also OE. clippen to cut, shear, Dan. klippe to clip, cut, SW. & Icel. klippa.]

1. To embrace, hence; to encompass. O . . . that Neptune's arms, who clippeth thee about, Would bear thee from the knowledge of thyself. Shak.

2. To cut off; as with shears or scissors; as, to clip the hair; to clip coin. Sentenced to have his ears clipped. Macaulay.

3. To curtail; to cut short. All my reports go with the modest truth; No more nor clipped, but so. Shak. In London they clip their words after one manner about the court, another in the city, and a third in the suburbs. Swift.

CLIP Clip, v. i.

Defn: To move swiftly; -- usually with indefinite it. Straight flies as chek, and clips it down the wind. Dryden.

CLIP Clip, n.

1. An embrace. Sir P. Sidney.

2. A cutting; a shearing.

3. The product of a single shearing of sheep; a season's crop of wool.

4. A clasp or holder for letters, papers, etc.

5. An embracing strap for holding parts together; the iron strap, with loop, at the ends of a whiffletree. Knight.

6. (Far.)

Defn: A projecting flange on the upper edge of a horseshoe, turned up so as to embrace the lower part of the hoof; -- called also toe clip and beak. Youatt.

7. A blow or stroke with the hand; as, he hit him a clip. [Colloq. U. S.]

CLIPPER Clip"per, n.

1. One who clips; specifically, one who clips off the edges of coin. The value is pared off from it into the clipper's pocket. Locke.

2. A machine for clipping hair, esp. the hair of horses.

3. (Naut.)

Defn: A vessel with a sharp bow, built and rigged for fast sailing. -- Clip"per-built` (, a.

Note: The name was first borne by "Baltimore clippers" famous as privateers in the early wars of the United States.

CLIPPING Clip"ping, n.

1. The act of embracing. [Obs.]

2. The act of cutting off, curtailing, or diminishing; the practice of clipping the edges of coins. clipping by Englishmen is robbing the honest man who receives clipped money. Locke.

3. That which is clipped off or out of something; a piece separated by clipping; as, newspaper clippings.

CLIQUE Clique, n. Etym: [F., fr. OF. cliquer to click. See Click, v. i.]

Defn: A narrow circle of persons associated by common interests or for the accomplishment of a common purpose; -- generally used in a bad sense.

CLIQUE Clique, v. i.

Defn: To To associate together in a clannish way; to act with others secretly to gain a desired end; to plot; -- used with together.

CLIQUISH Cli"quish, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to a clique; disposed to from cliques; exclusive in spirit. -- Cli"*quish*ness, n.

CLIQUISM Cli"quism, n.

Defn: The tendency to associate in cliques; the spirit of cliques.

CLITELLUS Cli*tel"lus, n. Etym: [NL., prob. fr. L. clitellae a packsadle.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A thickened glandular portion of the body of the adult earthworm, consisting of several united segments modified for reproductive purposes.

CLITORIS Cli"to*ris ( or ), n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. labia pudendi.] (Anat.)

Defn: A small organ at the upper part of the vulva, homologous to the penis in the male.

CLIVERS Cliv"ers ( or ), n.

Defn: See Cleavers.

CLIVITY Cliv"i*ty, n.; pl. Clivities. Etym: [L. clivus hill.]

Defn: Inclination; ascent or descent; a gradient. [R.]

CLOACA Clo"a"ca, n.; pl. Cloacæ. Etym: [L.]

1. A sewer; as, the Cloaca Maxima of Rome.

2. A privy.

3. (Anat.)

Defn: The common chamber into which the intestinal, urinary, and generative canals discharge in birds, reptiles, amphibians, and many fishes.

CLOACAL Clo*a"cal, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to a cloaca.

CLOAK Cloak (; 110), n. Etym: [Of. cloque cloak (from the bell-like shape), bell, F. cloche bell; perh. of Celtik origin and the same word as E. clock. See 1st Clock.]

1. A loose outer garment, extending from the neck downwards, and commonly without sleeves. It is longer than a cape, and is worn both by men and by women.

2. That which conceals; a disguise or pretext; an excuse; a fair pretense; a mask; a cover. No man is esteemed any ways considerable for policy who wears religion otherwise than as a cloak. South. Cloak bag, a bag in which a cloak or other clothes are carried; a portmanteau. Shak.

CLOAK Cloak, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cloaked; p. pr. & vb. n. Cloaking.]

Defn: To cover with, or as with, a cloak; hence, to hide or conceal. Now glooming sadly, so to cloak her matter. Spenser.

Syn. -- See Palliate.

CLOAKEDLY Cloak"ed*ly, adv.

Defn: In a concealed manner.

CLOAKING Cloak"ing, n.

1. The act of covering with a cloak; the act of concealing anything. To take heed of their dissembings and cloakings. Strype.

2. The material of which of which cloaks are made.

CLOAKROOM Cloak"room`, n.

Defn: A room, attached to any place of public resort, where cloaks, overcoats, etc., may be deposited for a time.

CLOCHE Cloche, n. [F., prop., bell.] (Aëronautics)

Defn: An apparatus used in controlling certain kinds of aëroplanes, and consisting principally of a steering column mounted with a universal joint at the base, which is bellshaped and has attached to it the cables for controlling the wing-warping devices, elevator planes, and the like.

CLOCK Clock, n. Etym: [AS. clucge bell; akin to D. klok clock, bell, G. glocke, Dan. klokke, Sw. klocka, Icel. klukka bell, LL. clocca, cloca (whence F. cloche); al perh. of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. & Gael. clog bell, clock, W. cloch bell. Cf. Cloak.]

1. A machine for measuring time, indicating the hour and other divisions by means of hands moving on a dial plate. Its works are moved by a weight or a spring, and it is often so constructed as to tell the hour by the stroke of a hammer on a bell. It is not adapted, like the watch, to be carried on the person.

2. A watcg, esp. one that strikes. [Obs.] Walton.

3. The striking of a clock. [Obs.] Dryden.

4. A figure or figured work on the ankle or side of a stocking. Swift.

Note: The phrases what o'clock it is nine o'clock, etc., are contracted from what of the clock it is nine of the clock, etc. Alarm clock. See under Alarm. -- Astronomical clock. (a) A clock of superior construction, with a compensating pendulum, etc., to measure time with great accuracy, for use in astronomical observatories; -- called a regulator when used by watchmakers as a standard for regulating timepieces. (b) A clock with mechanism for indicating certain astronomical phenomena, as the phases of the moon, position of the sun in the ecliptic, equation of time, etc. -- Electric clock. (a) A clock moved or regulated by electricity or electro-magnetism. (b) A clock connected with an electro-magnetic recording apparatus. -- Ship's clock (Naut.), a clock arranged to strike from one to eight strokes, at half hourly intervals, marking the divisions of the ship's watches. -- Sidereal clock, an astronomical clock regulated to keep sidereal time.

CLOCK Clock, v. t.

Defn: To ornament with figured work, as the side of a stocking.

CLOCK Clock, v. t. & i.

Defn: To call, as a hen. See Cluck. [R.]

CLOCK Clock, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large beetle, esp. the European dung beetle (Scarabæus stercorarius).

CLOCKLIKE Clock"like`, a.

Defn: Like a clock or like clockwork; mechanical. Their services are clocklike, to be set Blackward and vorward at their lord's command. B. Jonson.

CLOCKWISE Clock"wise`, a. & adv.

Defn: Like the motion of the hands of a clock; -- said of that direction of a rotation about an axis, or about a point in a plane, which is ordinarily reckoned negative.

CLOCKWORK Clock"work`, n.

Defn: The machinery of a clock, or machinary resembling that of a clock; machinery which produced regularity of movement.

CLOD Clod, n. Etym: [OE. clodde, latter form of clot. See Clot.]

1. A lump or mass, especially of earth, turf, or clay. "Clods of a slimy substance." Carew. "Clods of iron and brass." Milton. "Clods of blood." E. Fairfax. The earth that casteth up from the plow a great clod, is not so good as that which casteth up a smaller clod. Bacon.

2. The ground; the earth; a spot of earth or turf. The clod Where once their sultan's horse has trod. Swift.

3. That which is earthy and of little relative value, as the body of man in comparison with the soul. This cold clod of clay which we carry about with us. T. Burnet.

4. A dull, gross, stupid fellow; a dolt Dryden.

5. A pert of the shoulder of a beef creature, or of the neck piece near the shoulder. See Illust. of Beef.

CLOD Clod, v.i

Defn: To collect into clods, or into a thick mass; to coagulate; to clot; as, clodded gore. See Clot. Clodded in lumps of clay. G. Fletcher.

CLOD Clod, v. t.

1. To pelt with clods. Jonson.

2. To throw violently; to hurl. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

CLODDISH Clod"dish, a.

Defn: Resembling clods; gross; low; stupid; boorish. Hawthorne. -- Clod"dish*ness, n.

CLODDY Clod"dy, a.

Defn: Consisting of clods; full of clods.

CLODHOPPER Clod"hop`per, n.

Defn: A rude, rustic fellow.

CLODHOPPING Clod"hop`ping, a.

Defn: Boorish; rude. C. Bronté.

CLODPATE Clod"pate`, n.

Defn: A blockhead; a dolt.

CLODPATED Clod"pat`ed, a.

Defn: Stupid; dull; doltish.

CLODPOLL Clod"poll`, n. Etym: [Clod + poll head.]

Defn: A stupid fellow; a dolt. [Written also clodpole.] Shak.

CLOFF Cloff, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]

Defn: Formerly an allowance of two pounds in every three hundred weight after the tare and tret are subtracted; now used only in a general sense, of small deductions from the original weight. [Written also clough.] McCulloch.

CLOG Clog, n. Etym: [OE. clogge clog, Scot. clag, n., a clot, v., to to obstruct, cover with mud or anything adhesive; prob. of the same origin as E. clay.]

1. That which hinders or impedes motion; hence, an encumbrance, restraint, or impediment, of any kind. All the ancient, honest, juridical principles and institutions of England are so many clogs to check and retard the headlong course of violence and opression. Burke.

2. A weight, as a log or block of wood, attached to a man or an animal to hinder motion. As a dog . . . but chance breaks loose, And quits his clog. Hudibras. A clog of lead was round my feet. Tennyson.

3. A shoe, or sandal, intended to protect the feet from wet, or to increase the apparent stature, and having, therefore, a very thick sole. Cf. Chopine. In France the peasantry goes barefoot; and the middle sort . . . makes use of wooden clogs. Harvey. Clog almanac, a primitive kind of almanac or calendar, formerly used in England, made by cutting notches and figures on the four edges of a clog, or square piece of wood, brass, or bone; -- called also a Runic staff, from the Runic characters used in the numerical notation. -- Clog dance, a dance performed by a person wearing clogs, or thick-soled shoes. -- Clog dancer.

CLOG Clog, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Clogged; p. pr. & vb. n. Clogging.]

1. To encumber or load, especially with something that impedes motion; to hamper. The winds of birds were clogged with ace and snow. Dryden.

2. To obstruct so as to hinder motion in or through; to choke up; as, to clog a tube or a channel.

3. To burden; to trammel; to embarrass; to perplex. The commodities are clogged with impositions. Addison. You 'll rue the time That clogs me with this answer. Shak.

Syn. -- Impede; hinder; obstruct; embarrass; burden; restrain; restrict.

CLOG Clog, v. i.

1. To become clogged; to become loaded or encumbered, as with extraneous matter. In working through the bone, the teeth of the saw will begin to clog. S. Sharp.

2. To coalesce or adhere; to unite in a mass. Move it sometimes with a broom, that the seeds clog not together. Evelyn.

CLOGGINESS Clog"gi*ness, n.

Defn: The state of being clogged.

CLOGGING Clog"ging, n.

Defn: Anything which clogs. Dr. H. More.

CLOGGY Clog"gy, a.

Defn: Clogging, or having power to clog.

CLOISONNE Cloi`son*né, a. Etym: [F., partitioned, fr. cloison a partition.]

Defn: Inlaid between partitions: -- said of enamel when the lines which divide the different patches of fields are composed of a kind of metal wire secured to the ground; as distinguished from champlevé enamel, in which the ground is engraved or scooped out to receive the enamel. S. Wells Williams.

CLOISTER Clois"ter, n. Etym: [OF. cloistre, F. cloître, L. claustrum, pl. claustra, bar, bolt, bounds, fr. claudere, clausum, to close. See Close, v. t., and cf. Claustral.]

1. An inclosed place. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. A covered passage or ambulatory on one side of a court; (pl.) the series of such passages on the different sides of any court, esp. that of a monastery or a college. But let my due feet never fail To walk the studious cloister's pale. Milton.

3. A monastic establishment; a place for retirement from the world for religious duties. Fitter for a cloister than a crown. Daniel. Cloister garth (Arch.), the garden or open part of a court inclosed by the cloisters.

Syn. -- Cloister, Monastery, Nunnery, Convent, Abbey, Priory. Cloister and convent are generic terms, and denote a place of seclusion from the world for persons who devote their lives to religious purposes. They differ is that the distinctive idea of cloister is that of seclusion from the world, that of convent, community of living. Both terms denote houses for recluses of either sex. A cloister or convent for monks is called a monastery; for nuns, a nunnery. An abbey is a convent or monastic institution governed by an abbot or an abbess; a priory is one governed by a prior or a prioress, and is usually affiliated to an abbey.

CLOISTER Clois"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cloistered; p. pr. & vb. n. Cloistering.]

Defn: To confine in, or as in, a cloister; to seclude from the world; to immure. None among them are throught worthy to be styled religious persons but those that cloister themselves up in a monastery. Sharp.

CLOISTERAL Clois"ter*al, a.

Defn: Cloistral. [Obs.] I. Walton.

CLOISTERED Clois"tered, a.

1. Dwelling in cloisters; solitary. "Cloistered friars and vestal nuns." Hudibras. In cloistered state let selfish sages dwell, Proud that their heart is narrow as their cell. Shenstone.

2. Furnished with cloisters. Sir H. Wotton.

CLOISTERER Clois"ter*er, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. cloistier.]

Defn: One belonging to, or living in, a cloister; a recluse.

CLOISTRAL Clois"tral, a.

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or confined in, a cloister; recluse. [Written also cloisteral.] Best become a cloistral exercise. Daniel.

CLOISTRESS Clois"tress, n.

Defn: A nun. [R.] Shak.

CLOKE Cloke, n. & v.

Defn: See Cloak. [Obs.]

CLOMB; CLOMBEN Clomb, Clomb"en,

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Climb (for climbed). [Obs.] The sonne, he sayde, is clomben up on hevene. Chaucer.

CLOMP Clomp, n.

Defn: See Clamp.

CLONG Clong,

Defn: imp. of Cling. [Obs.]

CLONIC Clon"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. clonique.] (Med.)

Defn: Having an irregular, convulsive motion. Dunglison. Clonic spasm. (Med.) See under Spasm.

CLONUS Clo"nus, n. [NL., fr. Gr. violent, confused motion.] (Med.)

Defn: A series of muscular contractions due to sudden stretching of the muscle, -- a sign of certain neuropathies.

CLOOM Cloom, v. t. Etym: [A variant of clam to clog.]

Defn: To close with glutinous matter. [Obs.] Mortimer.

CLOOP Cloop, n. Etym: [An onomatopoeia.]

Defn: The sound made when a cork is forcibly drawn from a bottle. "The cloop of a cork wrenched from a bottle." Thackeray.

CLOOT Cloot, n. [Cf. G. dial. kleuzen to split.] (Scot. & Dial. Eng.)

1. One of the divisions of a cleft hoof, as in the ox; also, the whole hoof.

2. The Devil; Clootie; -- usually in the pl. Burns.

CLOOTIE Cloot"ie, n. (Scot. & Dial. Eng.)

1.

Defn: A little hoof.

2. The Devil. "Satan, Nick, or Clootie." Burns.

CLOSE Close, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Closed; p. pr. & vb. n. Closing.] Etym: [From OF. & F. clos, p. p. of clore to close, fr. L. claudere; akin to G. schliessen to shut, and to E. clot, cloister, clavicle, conclude, sluice. Cf. Clause, n.]

1. To stop, or fill up, as an opening; to shut; as, to close the eyes; to close a door.

2. To bring together the parts of; to consolidate; as, to close the ranks of an army; -- often used with up.

3. To bring to an end or period; to conclude; to complete; to finish; to end; to consummate; as, to close a bargain; to close a course of instruction. One frugal supper did our studies close. Dryden.

4. To come or gather around; to inclose; to encompass; to confine. The depth closed me round about. Jonah ii. 5. But now thou dost thyself immure and close In some one corner of a feeble heart. Herbert. A closed sea, a sea within the jurisdiction of some particular nation, which controls its navigation.

CLOSE Close, v. i.

1. To come together; to unite or coalesce, as the parts of a wound, or parts separated. What deep wounds ever closed without a scar Byron.

2. To end, terminate, or come to a period; as, the debate closed at six o'clock.

3. To grapple; to engange in hand-to-hand fight. They boldly closed in a hand-to-hand contest. Prescott. To close on or upon, to come to a mutual agreement; to agree on or join in. "Would induce France and Holland to close upon some measures between them to our disadvantage." Sir W. Temple. -- To close with. (a) To accede to; to consent or agree to; as, to close with the terms proposed. (b) To make an agreement with. -- To close with the land (Naut.), to approach the land.

CLOSE Close, n.

1. The manner of shutting; the union of parts; junction. [Obs.] The doors of plank were; their close exquisite. Chapman.

2. Conclusion; cessation; ending; end. His long and troubled life was drawing to a close. Macaulay.

3. A grapple in wrestling. Bacon.

4. (Mus.) (a) The conclusion of a strain of music; cadence. (b) A double bar marking the end. At every close she made, the attending throng Replied, and bore the burden of the song. Dryden.

Syn. -- Conclusion; termination; cessation; end; ending; extremity; extreme.

CLOSE Close ( or ), n. Etym: [OF. & F. clos an inclosure, fr. clos, p. p. of clore. See Close, v. t.]

1. An inclosed place; especially, a small field or piece of land surrounded by a wall, hedge, or fence of any kind; -- specifically, the precinct of a cathedral or abbey. Closes surrounded by the venerable abodes of deans and canons. Macaulay.

2. A narrow passage leading from a street to a court, and the houses within. [Eng.] Halliwell

3. (Law)

Defn: The interest which one may have in a piece of ground, even though it is not inclosed. Bouvier.

CLOSE Close, a. [Compar. Closer; superl. Closest.] Etym: [Of. & F. clos, p. p. of clore. See Close, v. t.]

1. Shut fast; closed; tight; as, a close box. From a close bower this dainty music flowed. Dryden.

2. Narrow; confined; as, a close alley; close quarters. "A close prison." Dickens.

3. Oppressive; without motion or ventilation; causing a feeling of lassitude; -- said of the air, weather, etc. If the rooms be low-roofed, or full of windows and doors, the one maketh the air close, . . . and the other maketh it exceeding unequal. Bacon.

4. Strictly confined; carefully quarded; as, a close prisoner.

5. Out of the way observation; secluded; secret; hidden. "He yet kept himself close because of Saul." 1 Chron. xii. 1 "Her close intent." Spenser.

6. Disposed to keep secrets; secretive; reticent. "For servecy, no lady closer." Shak.

7. Having the parts near each other; dense; solid; compact; as applied to bodies; viscous; tenacious; not volatile, as applied to liquids. The golden globe being put into a press, . . . the water made itself way through the pores of that very close metal. Locke.

8. Concise; to the point; as, close reasoning. "Where the original is close no version can reach it in the same compass." Dryden.

9. Adjoining; near; either in space; time, or thought; -- often followed by to. Plant the spring crocuses close to a wall. Mortimer. The thought of the Man of sorrows seemed a very close thing -- not a faint hearsay. G. Eliot.

10. Short; as, to cut grass or hair close.

11. Intimate; familiar; confidential. League with you I seek And mutual amity, so strait, so close, That I with you must dwell, or you with me. Milton.

12. Nearly equal; almost evenly balanced; as, a close vote. "A close contest." Prescott.

13. Difficult to obtain; as, money is close. Bartlett.

14. Parsimonious; stingy. "A crusty old fellow, as close as a vise." Hawthorne.

15. Adhering strictly to a standard or original; exact; strict; as, a close translation. Locke.

16. Accurate; careful; precise; also, attentive; undeviating; strict; not wandering; as, a close observer.

17. (Phon.)

Defn: Uttered with a relatively contracted opening of the mouth, as certain sounds of e and o in French, Italian, and German; -- opposed to open. Close borough. See under Borough. -- Close breeding. See under Breeding. -- Close communion, communion in the Lord's supper, restricted to those who have received baptism by immersion. -- Close corporation, a body or corporation which fills its own vacancies. -- Close fertilization. (Bot.) See Fertilization. -- Close harmony (Mus.), compact harmony, in which the tones composing each chord are not widely distributed over several octaves. -- Close time, a fixed period during which killing game or catching certain fish is prohibited by law. -- Close vowel (Pron.), a vowel which is pronounced with a diminished aperture of the lips, or with contraction of the cavity of the mouth. -- Close to the wind (Naut.), directed as nearly to the point from which the wind blows as it is possible to sail; closehauled; -- said of a vessel.

CLOSE Close, adv.

1. In a close manner.

2. Secretly; darkly. [Obs.] A wondrous vision which did close imply The course of all her fortune and posterity. Spenser.

CLOSE-BANDED Close"-band`ed, a.

Defn: Closely united.

CLOSE-BARRED Close"-barred`, a.

Defn: Firmly barred or closed.

CLOSE-BODIED Close"-bod`ied, a.

Defn: Fitting the body exactly; setting close, as a garment. Ayliffe.

CLOSE-FIGHTS Close"-fights`, n. pl. (Naut.)

Defn: Barriers with loopholes, formerly erected on the deck of a vessel to shelter the men in a close engagement with an enemy's boarders; -- called also close quarters. [Obs.]

CLOSEFISTED Close"fist`ed, a.

Defn: Covetous; niggardly. Bp. Berkeley. "Closefisted contractors." Hawthorne.

CLOSEHANDED Close"hand`ed, a.

Defn: Covetous; penurious; stingy; closefisted. -- Close"hand`ed*ness, n.

CLOSEHAULED Close"hauled`, a. (Naut.)

Defn: Under way and moving as nearly as possible toward the direction from which the wind blows; -- said of a sailing vessel.

CLOSELY Close"ly, adv.

1. In a close manner.

2. Secretly; privately. [Obs.] That nought she did but wayle, and often steepe Her dainty couch with tears which closely she did weepe. Spenser.

CLOSEMOUTHED Close"mouthed`, a.

Defn: Cautious in speaking; secret; wary; uncommunicative.

CLOSEN Clos"en, v. t.

Defn: To make close. [R.]

CLOSENESS Close"ness, n.

Defn: The state of being close. Half stifled by the closeness of the room. Swift. We rise not against the piercing judgment of Augustus, nor the extreme caution or closeness of Tiberius. Bacon. An affectation of closeness and covetousness. Addison.

Syn. -- Narrowness; oppressiveness; strictness; secrecy; compactness; conciseness; nearness; intimacy; tightness; stinginess; literalness.

CLOSER Clos"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, closes; specifically, a boot closer. See under Boot.

2. A finisher; that which finishes or terminates.

3. (Masonry)

Defn: The last stone in a horizontal course, if of a less size than the others, or a piece of brick finishing a course. Gwilt.

CLOSEREEFED Close"reefed`, a. (Naut.)

Defn: Having all the reefs taken in; -- said of a sail.

CLOSE-STOOL Close"-stool`, n.

Defn: A utensil to hold a chamber vessel, for the use of the sick and infirm. It is usually in the form of a box, with a seat and tight cover.

CLOSET Clos"et, n. Etym: [OF. closet little inclosure, dim. of clos. See Close an inclosure.]

1. A small room or apartment for retirement; a room for privacy. A chair-lumbered closet, just twelve feet by nine. Goldsmith. When thou prayest, enter into thy closet. Matt. vi. 6.

2. A small apartment, or recess in the side of a room, for household utensils, clothing, etc. Dryden. Closet sin, sin commited in privacy. Bp. Hall.

CLOSET Clos"et, v. t. [imp. & p. pr. & vb. n. Closeting.]

1. To shut up in, or as in, a closet; to conceal. [R.] Bedlam's closeted and handcuffed charge. Cowper.

2. To make into a closet for a secret interview. He was to call a new legislature, to closet its members. Bancroft. He had been closeted with De Quadra. Froude.

CLOSE-TONGUED Close"-tongued` (, a.

Defn: Closemouthed; silent. "Close-tongued treason." Shak.

CLOSH Closh, n. Etym: [CF. F. clocher to limp, halt.]

Defn: A disease in the feet of cattle; laminitis. Crabb.

CLOSH Closh, n. Etym: [CF. D. klossen to play at bowls.]

Defn: The game of ninepins. [Obs.] Halliwell.

CLOSURE Clo"sure (, 135), n. Etym: [Of. closure, L. clausura, fr. clauedere to shut. See Close, v. t.]

1. The act of shutting; a closing; as, the closure of a chink.

2. That which closes or shuts; that by which separate parts are fastened or closed. Without a seal, wafer, or any closure whatever. Pope.

3. That which incloses or confines; an inclosure. O thou bloody prison . . . Within the guilty closure of thy walls Richard the Second here was hacked to death. Shak.

4. A conclusion; an end. [Obs.] Shak.

5. (Parliamentary Practice)

Defn: A method of putting an end to debate and securing an immediate vote upon a measure before a legislative body. It is similar in effect to the previous question. It was first introduced into the British House of Commons in 1882. The French word clôture was originally applied to this proceeding.

CLOT Clot, n. Etym: [OE. clot, clodde, clod; akin to D. kloot ball, G. kloss clod, dumpling, klotz block, Dan. klods, Sw. klot bowl, globe, klots block; cf. AS. clate bur. Cf. Clod, n., Clutter to clot.]

Defn: A concretion or coagulation; esp. a soft, slimy, coagulated mass, as of blood; a coagulum. "Clots of pory gore." Addison. Doth bake the egg into clots as if it began to poach. Bacon.

Note: Clod and clot appear to be radically the same word, and are so used by early writers; but in present use clod is applied to a mass of earth or the like, and clot to a concretion or coagulation of soft matter.

CLOT Clot, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Clotted; p. pr. & vb. n. Clotting.]

Defn: To concrete, coagulate, or thicken, as soft or fluid matter by evaporation; to become a cot or clod.

CLOT Clot, v. t.

Defn: To form into a slimy mass.

CLOTBUR Clot"bur`, n. Etym: [Cf. Clote.]

1. The burdock. [Prov. Engl.] Prior.

2. Same as Cocklebur.

CLOTE Clote, n. Etym: [AS. cl: cf. G. klette.]

Defn: The common burdock; the clotbur. [Obs.] Wyclif.

CLOTH Cloth, n.; pl. Cloths (#; 115), except in the sense of garments, when it is Clothes (klothz or kloz). Etym: [OE. clath cloth, AS. cla\'ed cloth, garment; akin to D. kleed, Icel. klæ\'ebi, Dan. klæde, cloth, Sw. kläde, G. kleid garment, dress.]

1. A fabric made of fibrous material (or sometimes of wire, as in wire cloth); commonly, a woven fabric of cotton, woolen, or linen, adapted to be made into garments; specifically, woolen fabrics, as distinguished from all others.

2. The dress; raiment. [Obs.] See Clothes. I'll ne'er distust my God for cloth and bread. Quarles.

3. The distinctive dress of any profession, especially of the clergy; hence, the clerical profession. Appeals were made to the priesthood. Would they tamely permit so gross an insult to be offered to their cloth Macaulay. The cloth, the clergy, are constituted for administering and for giving the best possible effect to . . . every axiom. I. Taylor. Body cloth. See under Body. -- Cloth of gold, a fabric woven wholly or partially of threads of gold. -- Cloth measure, the measure of length and surface by which cloth is measured and sold. For this object the standard yard is usually divided into quarters and nails. -- Cloth paper, a coarse kind of paper used in pressing and finishing woolen cloth. -- Cloth shearer, one who shears cloth and frees it from superfluous nap.

CLOTHE Clothe, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Clothed ( or Clad; p. pr. & vb. n. Clothing.] Etym: [OE. clathen, clothen, clethen, AS. cla\'ebian, clæ\'eban. See Cloth.]

1. To put garments on; to cover with clothing; to dress. Go with me, to clothe you as becomes you. Shak.

2. To provide with clothes; as, to feed and clothe a family; to clothe one's self extravagantly. Drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. Prov. xxiii. 21 The naked every day he clad, When he put on his clothes. Goldsmith.

3. Fig.: To cover or invest, as with a garment; as, to clothe one with authority or power. Language in which they can clothe their thoughts. Watts. His sides are clothed with waving wood. J. Dyer. Thus Belial, with with words clothed in reason's garb. Milton.

CLOTHE Clothe, v. i.

Defn: To wear clothes. [Poetic] Care no more to clothe eat. Shak.

CLOTHES Clothes ( or ; 277), n. pl. Etym: [From Cloth.]

1. Covering for the human body; dress; vestments; vesture; -- a general term for whatever covering is worn, or is made to be worn, for decency or comfort. She . . . speaks well, and has excellent good clothes. Shak. If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. Mark. v. 28.

2. The covering of a bed; bedclothes. She turned each way her frighted head, Then sunk it deep beneath the clothes. Prior. Body clothes. See under Body. -- Clothes moth (Zoöl.), a small moth of the genus Tinea. The most common species (T. flavifrontella)is yellowish white. The larvæ eat woolen goods, furs, feathers, etc. They live in tubular cases made of the material upon which they feed, fastened together with silk.

Syn. -- Garments; dress; clothing; apparel; attire; vesture; raiment; garb; costume; habit; habiliments.

CLOTHESHORSE Clothes"horse`, n.

Defn: A frame to hang clothes on.

CLOTHESLINE Clothes"line`, n.

Defn: A rope or wire on which clothes are hung to dry.

CLOTHESPIN Clothes"pin` ( or ), n.

Defn: A forked piece of wood, or a small spring clamp, used for fastening clothes on a line.

CLOTHESPRESS Clothes"press`, n.

Defn: A receptacle for clothes.

CLOTHIER Cloth"ier, n.

1. One who makes cloths; one who dresses or fulls cloth. Hayward.

2. One who sells cloth or clothes, or who makes and sells clothes.

CLOTHING Cloth"ing, n.

1. Garments in general; clothes; dress; raiment; covering. From others he shall stand in need of nothing, Yet on his brothers shall depend for clothing. Milton. As for me, . . . my clothing was sackloth. Ps. xxxv. 13

2. The art of process of making cloth. [R.] Instructing [refugees] in the art of clothing. Ray.

3. A covering of non-conducting material on the outside of a boiler, or steam chamber, to prevent radiation of heat. Knight.

4. (Mach.)

Defn: See Card clothing, under 3d Card.

CLOTHRED Clot"hred, p. p.

Defn: Clottered. [Obs.] Chaucer.

CLOTPOLL Clot"poll`, n.

Defn: See Clodpoll. [Obs.] Shak.

CLOTTED Clot"ted, a.

Defn: Composed of clots or clods; having the quality or form of a clot; sticky; slimy; foul. "The clotted glebe." J. Philips. When lust . . . Lets in defilement to the inward parts, The soul grows clotted by contagion. Milton.

CLOTTER Clot"ter, v. i. Etym: [From Clot.]

Defn: To concrete into lumps; to clot. [Obs.] "Clottered blood." Chapman.

CLOTTY Clot"ty, a. Etym: [From Clot, n.]

Defn: Full of clots, or clods. "Clotty matter." Harvey.

CLOTURE Clô`ture", n. Etym: [F.] (Parliamentary Practice)

Defn: See Closure, 5.

CLOTWEED Clot"weed`, n. Etym: [See Clote.]

Defn: Cocklebur.

CLOUD Cloud, n. Etym: [Prob. fr. AS. cld a rock or hillock, the application arising from the frequent resemblance of clouds to rocks or hillocks in the sky or air.]

1. A collection of visible vapor, or watery particles, susponded in the upper atmosphere. I do set my bow in the cloud. Gen. ix. 13.

Note: A classification of clouds according to their chief forms was first proposed by the meteorologist Howard, and this is still substantially employed. The following varieties and subvarieties are recognized: (a) Cirrus. This is the most elevated of all the forms of clouds; is thin, long-drawn, sometimes looking like carded wool or hair, sometimes like a brush or room, sometimes in curl-like or fleecelike patches. It is the cat's-tail of the sailor, and the mare's-tail of the landsman. (b) Cumulus. This form appears in large masses of a hemispherical form, or nearly so, above, but flat below, one often piled above another, forming great clouds, common in the summer, and presenting the appearance of gigantic mountains crowned with snow. It often affords rain and thunder gusts. (c) Stratus. This form appears in layers or bands extending horizontally. (d) Nimbus. This form is characterized by its uniform gray tint and ragged edges; it covers the sky in seasons of continued rain, as in easterly storms, and is the proper rain cloud. The name is sometimes used to denote a raining cumulus, or cumulostratus. (e) Cirro-cumulus. This form consists, like the cirrus, of thin, broken, fleecelice clouds, but the parts are more or less rounded and regulary grouped. It is popularly called mackerel sky. (f) Cirro-stratus. In this form the patches of cirrus coalesce in long strata, between cirrus and stratus. (g) Cumulo-stratus. A form between cumulus and stratus, often assuming at the horizon a black or bluish tint. -- Fog, cloud, motionless, or nearly so, lying near or in contact with the earth's surface. -- Storm scud, cloud lying quite low, without form, and driven rapidly with the wind.

2. A mass or volume of smoke, or flying dust, resembling vapor. "A thick cloud of incense." Ezek. viii. 11.

3. A dark vein or spot on a lighter material, as in marble; hence, a blemish or defect; as, a cloud upon one's reputation; a cloud on a title.

4. That which has a dark, lowering, or threatening aspect; that which temporarily overshadows, obscures, or depresses; as, a cloud of sorrow; a cloud of war; a cloud upon the intellect.

5. A great crowd or multitude; a vast collection. "So great a cloud of witnesses." Heb. xii. 1.

6. A large, loosely-knitted scarf, worn by women about the head. Cloud on a (or the) title (Law), a defect of title, usually superficial and capable of removal by release, decision in equity, or legislation. -- To be under a cloud, to be under suspicion or in disgrace; to be in disfavor. -- In the clouds, in the realm of facy and imagination; beyond reason; visionary.

CLOUD Cloud, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Clouded; p. pr. & vb. n. Clouding.]

1. To overspread or hide with a cloud or clouds; as, the sky is clouded.

2. To darken or obscure, as if by hiding or enveloping with a cloud; hence, to render gloomy or sullen. One day too late, I fear me, noble lord, Hath clouded all thy happy days on earth. Shak. Be not disheartened, then, nor cloud those looks. Milton. Nothing clouds men's minds and impairs their honesty like prejudice. M. Arnold.

3. To blacken; to sully; to stain; to tarnish; to damage; -- esp. used of reputation or character. I would not be a stander-by to hear My sovereign mistress clouded so, without My present vengeance taken. Shak.

4. To mark with, or darken in, veins or sports; to variegate with colors; as, to cloud yarn. And the nice conduct of a clouded cane. Pope.

CLOUD Cloud, v. i.

Defn: To grow cloudy; to become obscure with clouds; -- often used with up. Worthies, away! The scene begins to cloud. Shak.

CLOUDAGE Cloud"age, n.

Defn: Mass of clouds; cloudiness. [R.] A scudding cloudage of shapes. Coleridge.

CLOUDBERRY Cloud"ber`ry, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A species of raspberry (Rubus Chamæmerous) growing in the northern regions, and bearing edible, amber-colored fruit.

CLOUD-BUILT Cloud"-built, a.

Defn: Built of, or in, the clouds; airy; unsubstantial; imaginary. Cowper. So vanished my cloud-built palace. Goldsmith.

CLOUD-BURST Cloud"-burst`, n.

Defn: A sudden copious rainfall, as the whole cloud had been precipitated at once.

CLOUD-CAPPED Cloud"-capped`, a.

Defn: Having clouds resting on the top or head; reaching to the clouds; as, cloud-capped mountains.

CLOUD-COMPELLER Cloud"-com*pel`ler, n.

Defn: Cloud-gatherer; -- an epithet applied to Zeus. [Poetic.] Pope.

CLOUDILY Cloud"i*ly, adv.

Defn: In a cloudy manner; darkly; obscurely. Dryden.

CLOUDINESS Cloud"i*ness, n.

Defn: The state of being cloudy.

CLOUDING Cloud"ing, n.

1. A mottled appearance given to ribbons and silks in the process of dyeing.

2. A diversity of colors in yarn, recurring at regular intervals. Knight.

CLOUDLAND Cloud"land`, n.

Defn: Dreamland.

CLOUDLESS Cloud"less, a.

Defn: Without a cloud; clear; bright. A cloudless winter sky. Bankroft. -- Cloud"less*ly, adv. -- Cloud"less*ness, n.

CLOUDLET Cloud"let, n.

Defn: A little cloud. R. Browning. Eve's first star through fleecy cloudlet peeping. Coleridge.

CLOUDY Cloud"y (, a. [Compar. Cloudier (; superl. Cloudiest.] Etym: [From Cloud, n.]

1. Overcast or obscured with clouds; clouded; as, a cloudy sky.

2. Consisting of a cloud or clouds. As Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended. Ex. xxxiii. 9

3. Indicating gloom, anxiety, sullenness, or ill-nature; not open or cheerful. "A cloudy countenance." Shak.

4. Confused; indistinct; obscure; dark. Cloudy and confused notions of things. Watts.

5. Lacking clearness, brightness, or luster. "A cloudy diamond." Boyle.

6. Marked with veins or sports of dark or various hues, as marble.

CLOUGH Clough, n. Etym: [OE. clough, cloghe, clou, clewch, AS. (assumed) cloh, akin to G. klinge ravine.]

1. A cleft in a hill; a ravine; a narrow valley. Nares.

2. A sluice used in returning water to a channel after depositing its sediment on the flooded land. Knight.

CLOUGH Clough, n. (Com.)

Defn: An allowance in weighing. See Cloff.

CLOUT Clout, n. Etym: [AS. clut a little cloth, piece of metal; cf. Sw. klut, Icel. klutr a kerchief, or W. clwt a clout, Gael. clud.]

1. A cloth; a piece of cloth or leather; a patch; a rag. His garments, nought but many ragged clouts, With thorns together pinned and patched was. Spenser. A clout upon that head where late the diadem stood. Shak.

2. A swadding cloth.

3. A piece; a fragment. [Obs.] Chaucer.

4. The center of the butt at which archers shoot; -- probably once a piece of white cloth or a nail head. A'must shoot nearer or he'll ne'er hit the clout. Shak.

5. An iron plate on an axletree or other wood to keep it from wearing; a washer.

6. A blow with the hand. [Low] Clout nail, a kind of wrought-iron nail heaving a large flat head; -- used for fastening clouts to axletrees, plowshares, etc., also for studding timber, and for various purposes.

CLOUT Clout, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Clouted; p. pr. & vb. n. Clouting.] Etym: [OE. clutien. clouten, to patch. See Clout, n.]

1. To cover with cloth, leather, or other material; to bandage; patch, or mend, with a clout. And old shoes and clouted upon their feet. Josh. ix. 5. Paul, yea, and Peter, too, had more skill in . . . clouting an old tent than to teach lawyers. Latimer.

2. To join or patch clumsily. If fond Bavius vent his clouted song. P. Fletcher

3. To quard with an iron plate, as an axletree.

4. To give a blow to; to strike. [Low] The . . . queen of Spain took off one of her chopines and clouted Olivarez about the noddle with it. Howell.

5. To stud with nails, as a timber, or a boot sole. Clouted cream, clotted cream, i. e., cream obtained by warming new milk. A. Philips.

Note: "Clouted brogues" in Shakespeare and "clouted shoon" in Milton have been understood by some to mean shoes armed with nails; by others, patched shoes.

CLOUTERLY Clout"er*ly, a. Etym: [From Clout, n.]

Defn: Clumsy; awkward. [Obs.] Rough-hewn, cloutery verses. E. Phillips.

CLOVE Clove,

Defn: imp. of Cleave. Cleft. Spenser. Clove hitch (Naut.) See under Hitch. -- Clove hook (Naut.), an iron two-part hook, with jaws overlapping, used in bending chain sheets to the clews of sails; -- called also clip hook. Knight.

CLOVE Clove, n. Etym: [D. kloof. See Cleave, v. t.]

Defn: A cleft; a gap; a ravine; -- rarely used except as part of a proper name; as, Kaaterskill Clove; Stone Clove.

CLOVE Clove, n. Etym: [OE. clow, fr. F. clou nail, clou de girofle a clove, lit. nail of clove, fr. L. clavus nail, perh. akin to clavis key, E. clavicle. The clove was so called from its resemblance to a nail. So in D. kruidnagel clove, lit. herb-nail or spice-nail. Cf. Cloy.]

Defn: A very pungent aromatic spice, the unexpanded flower bud of the clove tree (Eugenia, or Caryophullus, aromatica), a native of the Molucca Isles. Clove camphor. (Chem.) See Eugenin. -- Clove gillyflower, Clove pink (Bot.), any fragrant self-colored carnation.

CLOVE Clove, n. Etym: [AS. clufe an ear of corn, a clove of garlic; cf. cleófan to split, E. cleave.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: One of the small bulbs developed in the axils of the scales of a large bulb, as in the case of garlic. Developing, in the axils of its skales, new bulbs, of what gardeners call cloves. Lindley.

2. A weight. A clove of cheese is about eight pounds, of wool, about seven pounds. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

CLOVEN Clo"ven, p. p. & a.

Defn: from Cleave, v. t. To show the cloven foot or hoof, to reveal a devilish character, or betray an evil purpose, notwithstanding disguises, -- Satan being represented dramatically and symbolically as having cloven hoofs.

CLOVEN-FOOTED; CLOVEN-HOOFED Clo"ven-foot`ed, Clo"ven-hoofed`, a.

Defn: Having the foot or hoof divided into two parts, as the ox.

CLOVER Clo"ver, n. Etym: [OE. claver, clover, AS. cl; akin to LG. & Dan. klever, D. klaver, G. klee, Sw. kl.] (Bot.)

Defn: A plant of differend species of the genus Trifolium; as the common red clover, T. pratense, the white, T. repens, and the hare's foot, T. arvense. Clover weevil (Zoöl.) a small weevil (Apion apricans), that destroys the seeds of clover. -- Clover worm (Zoöl.), the larva of a small moth (Asopia costalis), often very destructive to clover hay. -- In clover, in very pleasant circumstances; fortunate. [Colloq.] - - Sweet clover. See Meliot.

CLOVERED Clo"vered, a.

Defn: Covered with growing clover. Flocks thick nibbling through the clovered vale. Thomson.

CLOWE-GILOFRE Clowe"-gi*lof`re, n. Etym: [See 3d Clove, and Gilliflower.]

Defn: Spice clove. [Obs.] Chaucer.

CLOWN Clown, n. Etym: [Cf. Icel. klunni a clumsy, boorish fellow, North Fries. kl clown, dial. Sw. klunn log, Dan. klunt log block, and E. clump, n.]

1. A man of coarse nature and manners; an awkward fellow; an illbred person; a boor. Sir P. Sidney.

2. One who works upon the soil; a rustic; a churl. The clown, the child of nature, without guile. Cowper.

3. The fool or buffoon in a play, circus, etc. The clown shall make those laugh whose lungs are tickle o'the sere. Shak.

CLOWN Clown, v. i.

Defn: To act as a clown; -- with it [Obs.] Beclowns it properly indeed. B. Jonson.

CLOWNAGE Clown"age, n.

Defn: Behavior or manners of a clown; clownery. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

CLOWNERY Clown"er*y, n.

Defn: Clownishness. L'Estrange.

CLOWNISH Clown"ish, a.

Defn: Of or resembling a clown, or characteristic of a clown; ungainly; awkward. "Clownish hands." Spenser. "Clownish mimic." Prior. -- Clown"ish*ly, adv.

Syn. -- Coarse; rough; clumsy; awkward; ungainly; rude; uncivil; ill- bred; boorish; rustic; untutored.

CLOWNISHNESS Clown"ish*ness, n.

Defn: The manners of a clown; coarseness or rudeness of behavior. That plainness which the alamode people call clownishness. Locke.

CLOY Cloy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cloyed (kloid); p. pr. & vb. n. Cloying.] Etym: [OE. cloer to nail up, F. clouer, fr. OF. clo nail, F. clou, fr. L. clavus nail. Cf. 3d Clove.]

1. To fill or choke up; to stop up; to clog. [Obs.] The duke's purpose was to have cloyed the harbor by sinking ships, laden with stones. Speed.

2. To glut, or satisfy, as the appetite; to satiate; to fill to loathing; to surfeit. [Who can] cloy the hungry edge of appetite By bare imagination of a feast Shak. He sometimes cloys his readers instead of satisfying. Dryden.

3. To penetrate or pierce; to wound. Which, with his cruel tusk, him deadly cloyed. Spenser. He never shod horse but he cloyed him. Bacon.

4. To spike, as a cannon. [Obs.] Johnson.

5. To stroke with a claw. [Obs.] Shak.

CLOYLESS Cloy"less, a.

Defn: That does not cloy. Shak.

CLOYMENT Cloy"ment, n.

Defn: Satiety. [Obs.] Shak.

CLUB Club, n. Etym: [CF. Icel. klubba, klumba, club, klumbuf a clubfoot, SW. klubba club, Dan. klump lump, klub a club, G. klumpen clump, kolben club, and E. clump.]

1. A heavy staff of wood, usually tapering, and wielded the hand; a weapon; a cudgel. But make you ready your stiff bats and clubs; Rome and her rats are at the point of battle. Shak.

2. Etym: [Cf. the Spanish name bastos, and Sp. baston staff, club.]

Defn: Any card of the suit of cards having a figure like the trefoil or clover leaf. (pl.) The suit of cards having such figure.

3. An association of persons for the promotion of some common object, as literature, science, politics, good fellowship, etc.; esp. an association supported by equal assessments or contributions of the members. They talked At wine, in clubs, of art, of politics. Tennyson. He [Goldsmith] was one of the nine original members of that celebrated fraternity which has sometimes been called the Literary Club, but which has always disclaimed that epithet, and still glories in the simple name of the Club. Macaulay.