Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “clack” come from?

Clack comes from Middle English clacken, Old English clacian, Proto-Germanic klakōną, and Proto-Indo-European glag-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gal-.

clack (English): An abrupt, sharp sound, especially one made by...

Definitions

  1. An abrupt, sharp sound, especially one made by...

Ancestry of “clack”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishclacken—
2Old Englishclacianto clack, clap; to chirp, tweet
3Proto-Germanicklakōnąto clap, clack; to chirp, tweet, twitter
4Proto-Indo-Europeanglag-to make a noise, clap, twitter; to make a noise,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeangal-to call, cry; to sound; to roop, scream, shout

Words derived from “clack”

  • clackety
  • clacker
  • clackity
  • clacky
  • clacka
  • pokerclack
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gal- →