Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “clodpole” come from?

clodpole (English) comes from English clod, from Middle English clod, from Middle English clot, from Old English clott, from Proto-Germanic klūtaz, from Proto-Indo-European gelewdos, from Indo-European *gel-.

clodpole (English): a stupid person; blockhead

Definitions

  1. a stupid person; blockhead

Ancestry of “clodpole”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishclodA lump of something, especially of earth or clay;...
2Middle EnglishclodA clod; a ball of earth or clay; A clot or clump...
3Middle EnglishclotA clod; a ball of earth or clay; The ground; the...
4Old Englishclottround mass, lump
5Proto-Germanicklūtazlump, clod; boulder, rock; hill
6Proto-Indo-Europeangelewdos—
7Indo-European*gel-—
Every word from Indo-European *gel- →