Where does “clew” come from?
Clew derives from Old English cliewen, meaning a ball of thread or yarn, which developed the figurative sense of a guide or hint in solving puzzles.
clew (English): A roughly spherical mass or body; A ball of...
Definitions
- A roughly spherical mass or body; A ball of...
Ancestry of “clew”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | clew | Alternative form of clewe |
| 2 | Old English | clēowen | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | kliuwiną | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | glew- | Alternative form of *gley-; to amass,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵel- | to swallow; swallow |
Words derived from “clew”