Where does “clue stick” come from?
clue stick (English) comes from English clue, from English clew, from Middle English clew, from Old English clēowen, from Proto-Germanic kliuwiną, from Proto-Indo-European glew-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵel- — to swallow; swallow.
clue stick (English): A metaphorical stick used to beat information or...
Definitions
- A metaphorical stick used to beat information or...
Ancestry of “clue stick”, step by step
clue stick traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English clue
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | clue | A strand of yarn etc. as used to guide one... |
| 2 | English | clew | A roughly spherical mass or body; A ball of... |
| 3 | Middle English | clew | Alternative form of clewe |
| 4 | Old English | clēowen | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | kliuwiną | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | glew- | Alternative form of *gley-; to amass,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵel- | to swallow; swallow |