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clout 1 (klout)
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n.
Chiefly Midland US
A piece of cloth, especially a baby's diaper.

[Middle English, cloth patch, shred of clothing, from Old English clūt; akin to Dutch kluit and Middle High German klūt, lump, clod.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
clout 2 (klout)
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n.
1.
a. Influence; pull: “Doctors have banded together into large negotiating groups in efforts to increase their clout” (George Anders).
b. Power; muscle.
2. A blow, especially with the fist.
3.
a. Baseball A long powerful hit.
b. Sports An archery target.
tr.v. clout·ed, clout·ing, clouts
To hit, especially with the fist.

[From Early Middle English, blow with the hand, slap, cuff, from Middle English, back of the hand, slap, probably from clout, cloth patch, metal plate, fragment; see CLOUT1.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.