clew
English
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clew
- /kluː/
- /kluʊ̯/
- /kljuː/ obsolete
Sounds like clue, clou · Rhymes with -uː
Where it comes from
From Middle English clew, clewe, clowe, clue, clwe, clyw, clywe, from Old English clēowen, clīewen, clīowen, clīwen, clȳwe, clȳwen (“ball, sphere; skein”), from Proto-Germanic *kliuwiną, *klewô (“bale, ball, clump, mass”), from Proto-Indo-European *glew- (“to ball up, clump together; lump, swelling”). Akin to Old English clǣġ (“clay”). Doublet of knawel.
Cognates
Cognate with Cimbrian khnaul (“ball of yarn”), Dutch kluwe, kluwen (“ball thread or yarn, clew”), German Knäuel (“ballyarn; tangle”), Norwegian Nynorsk kljå (“a loom weight”); also Sanskrit ग्लौ (glau, “the moon; camphor; the earth”).
noun clews
- A roughly spherical mass or body. If the whole troupe be diuided into many clewes, or round bunches, you need not then doubt but that there are many kings.
- A ball of thread or yarn. [O]nely ſinne And helliſh obſtinacie tye thy tongue That truth ſhould be ſuſpected, ſpeake, iſ't ſo? If it be ſo, you haue wound a goodly clewe: If it be not, forſweare't how ere I charge thee, As heauen ſhall work in me for thine auaile To tell me truelie.
- Yarn or thread as used to guide one's way through a maze or labyrinth; a guide, a clue.
- The lower corner(s) of a sail to which a sheet is attached for trimming the sail (adjusting its position relative to the wind); the metal loop or cringle in the corner of the sail, to which the sheet is attached. (on a triangular sail) The trailing corner relative to the wind direction. 'Mid the rattle of blocks and the tramp of the crew, Hisses the rain of the rushing squall; The sails are aback from clew to clew, And now is the moment for "MAINSAIL, HAUL!"
- The sheets so attached to a sail. The canvas running up in a proud sweep, Wind-wrinkled at the clews, and white like lint,
- The cords suspending a hammock. He taught us how to attach the clews to the ends of the hammock and then lash it between jack stays.
- Archaic spelling of clue With this clew, let us endeavour to unravel this character of Herod as here given.
verb clews · clewing · clewed
- to roll into a ball
- to raise the lower corner(s) of (a sail)
Translations
Talk about this word "clew." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/clew. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. clew. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/clew "clew." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/clew.Cite this
@misc{clew_2026,
title = {clew},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/clew},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
