clew

[ kloo ]

/ klu /

noun

clue (def. 1).

Nautical. either lower corner of a square sail or the after lower corner of a fore-and-aft sail.

a ball or skein of thread, yarn, etc.

Usually clews. the rigging for a hammock.

Theater. a metal device holding scenery lines controlled by one weighted line.

Classical Mythology. the thread by which Theseus found his way out of the labyrinth.

verb (used with object)

to coil into a ball.

clue (def. 3).

Theater.

to draw up the bottom edge of (a curtain, drop, etc.) and fold out of view; bag.
to secure (lines) with a clew.

Verb Phrases

clew down, Nautical. to secure (a sail) in an unfurled position.

clew up, Nautical. to haul (the lower corners of a square-rig sail) up to the yard by means of the clew lines.

Idioms for clew

spread a large clew, Nautical.

to carry a large amount of sail.
to present an impressive appearance.

Origin of clew

before 900; Middle English clewe,Old English cleowen, cliewen, equivalent to cliew- (cognate with Old High German kliu ball) + -en-en⁵; akin to Dutch kluwen

Words nearby clew

clever, clever-clever, clever Dick, Cleves, clevis, clew, clew line, clew up, clianthus, Cliburn, cliché

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for clew

He had discovered the hidden passage and held the clew which he had so industriously sought.
Edison, His Life and Inventions|Frank Lewis Dyer and Thomas Commerford Martin
The first thing we did was to clew up the three top-gallant-sails.
Miles Wallingford|James Fenimore Cooper
Hoping for a clew, they examined the ground for his footprints, but could discover nothing.
The Gilded Man|Clifford Smyth
She asked after him in the kitchen, and the express-messenger helped her to a clew by his account of the boy without a hat.
Titan: A Romance v. 1 (of 2)|Jean Paul Friedrich Richter

I kept the clew by thrusting into the passage slender twigs; these it was easy to follow.
Riverby|John Burroughs

British Dictionary definitions for clew

clew

/ (kluː) /

noun

a ball of thread, yarn, or twine

nautical either of the lower corners of a square sail or the after lower corner of a fore-and-aft sail

(usually plural) the rigging of a hammock

a rare variant of clue

verb

(tr) to coil or roll into a ball

Word Origin for clew

Old English cliewen (vb); related to Old High German kliu ball

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

单词	clew
释义	clew [ kloo ] / klu / noun clue (def. 1). Nautical. either lower corner of a square sail or the after lower corner of a fore-and-aft sail. a ball or skein of thread, yarn, etc. Usually clews. the rigging for a hammock. Theater. a metal device holding scenery lines controlled by one weighted line. Classical Mythology. the thread by which Theseus found his way out of the labyrinth. verb (used with object) to coil into a ball. clue (def. 3). Theater. to draw up the bottom edge of (a curtain, drop, etc.) and fold out of view; bag. to secure (lines) with a clew. Verb Phrases clew down, Nautical. to secure (a sail) in an unfurled position. clew up, Nautical. to haul (the lower corners of a square-rig sail) up to the yard by means of the clew lines. Idioms for clew spread a large clew, Nautical. to carry a large amount of sail. to present an impressive appearance. Origin of clew before 900; Middle English clewe,Old English cleowen, cliewen, equivalent to cliew- (cognate with Old High German kliu ball) + -en-en⁵; akin to Dutch kluwen Words nearby clew clever, clever-clever, clever Dick, Cleves, clevis, clew, clew line, clew up, clianthus, Cliburn, cliché Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for clew He had discovered the hidden passage and held the clew which he had so industriously sought. Edison, His Life and Inventions\|Frank Lewis Dyer and Thomas Commerford Martin The first thing we did was to clew up the three top-gallant-sails. Miles Wallingford\|James Fenimore Cooper Hoping for a clew, they examined the ground for his footprints, but could discover nothing. The Gilded Man\|Clifford Smyth She asked after him in the kitchen, and the express-messenger helped her to a clew by his account of the boy without a hat. Titan: A Romance v. 1 (of 2)\|Jean Paul Friedrich Richter I kept the clew by thrusting into the passage slender twigs; these it was easy to follow. Riverby\|John Burroughs British Dictionary definitions for clew clew / (kluː) / noun a ball of thread, yarn, or twine nautical either of the lower corners of a square sail or the after lower corner of a fore-and-aft sail (usually plural) the rigging of a hammock a rare variant of clue verb (tr) to coil or roll into a ball Word Origin for clew Old English cliewen (vb); related to Old High German kliu ball Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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