Where does “clutch” come from?
Clutch comes from Middle English cleken, from Old Norse klekja, from Proto-Germanic klukjaną, from Proto-Indo-European glew-, a root meaning to ball up or clench.
clutch (English): To seize, as though with claws; To grip or grasp...
Definitions
- To seize, as though with claws; To grip or grasp...
Ancestry of “clutch”, step by step
clutch traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English cletch
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cletch | — |
| 2 | Middle English | cleken | to seize, clutch; to hatch |
| 3 | Middle English | clechen | to grab |
| 4 | Old English | clēċan | — |
| 5 | Old English | clyċċan | to clutch, clench |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | klukjaną | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | klu- | to ball up, conglomerate, amass |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | glew- | Alternative form of *gley-; to amass,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵel- | to swallow; swallow |
via Middle English clucchen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | clucchen | — |