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clew¹

(kl)

1. A ball of yarn or thread.

2. Greek Mythology The ball of thread used by Theseus to find his way out of the labyrinth.

3. clews The cords by which a hammock is suspended.

4. also clue Nautical

a. One of the two lower corners of a square sail.

b. The lower aft corner of a fore-and-aft sail.

tr.v. clewed, clew·ing, clews

1. To roll or coil into a ball.

2. also clue Nautical To raise the lower corners of (a square sail) by means of clew lines. Used with up.

[Middle English clewe, from Old English cliwen.]

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.

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