clod

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English

Etymology

From Middle English clod, a late by-form of clot, from Old English clot, from Proto-West Germanic *klott (“mass, ball, clump”). Compare clot and cloud; cognate to Dutch klodde (“rag”) and kloot (“clod”).

Pronunciation

  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /klɒd/
  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "GA" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /klɑd/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɒd, -ɑːd

Noun

clod (plural clods)

  1. A lump of something, especially of earth or clay.
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC:
      clods of iron and brass
    • 1600, Edward Fairfax (translator), originally published in 1581 by Torquato Tasso, w:Jerusalem Delivered
      clods of blood
    • 1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “(please specify the page, or |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC:
      The earth that casteth up from the plough a great clod, is not so good as that which casteth up a smaller clod.
    • 1903, Warwick Deeping, Uther and Igraine
      As for yon clod of clay, we will bury it later, lest it should pollute so goodly a pool.
    • 1906, Mark Twain, Eve's Diary
      One of the clods took it back of the ear, and it used language. It gave me a thrill, for it was the first time I had ever heard speech, except my own.
    • 2010, Clare Vanderpool, Moon Over Manifest
      "What a bunch of hooey," I said under my breath, tossing a dirt clod over my shoulder against the locked-up garden shed.
  2. The ground; the earth; a spot of earth or turf.
  3. A stupid person; a dolt.
    • 1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe: A Tragedy. […], London: […] T[homas] N[ewcomb] for Henry Herringman, […], published 1676, →OCLC, Act I, page 3:
      The vulgar, a scarce animated clod
    • 1906, Robert Barr, The Triumphs of Eugène Valmont
      'What was its number?'
      'I don't know, sir.'
      'You clod! Why didn't you call one of our men, whoever was nearest, and leave him to shadow the American while you followed the cab?'
    • 1986 February 14, Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes
      So here's a valentine for you, you insensitive clod!!
    • 1998, Chickenpox (episode of South Park TV series)
      Gerald Broflovski: You see Kyle, we humans work as a society, and in order for a society to thrive, we need gods and clods.
    • 2015, "Jail Break" (episode of Steven Universe TV series)
      Peridot: Don't touch that! You clods don't know what you're doing!
  4. Part of a shoulder of beef, or of the neck piece near the shoulder.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

clod (third-person singular simple present clods, present participle clodding, simple past and past participle clodded)

  1. (transitive) To pelt with clods.
    • 1906, Mark Twain, Eve's Diary
      "When I went there yesterday evening in the gloaming it had crept down and was trying to catch the little speckled fishes that play in the pool, and I had to clod it to make it go up the tree again and let them alone."
    • 1959, Louis L'Amour, The First Fast Draw
      when I came out and started to hoist it to the mule's back they rushed at me and jerked my suspenders down and then they clodded me with chunks of dirt
  2. (transitive, Scotland) To throw violently; to hurl.
  3. To collect into clods, or into a thick mass; to coagulate; to clot.
    • 1610, Giles Fletcher, Christ's Victorie and Triumph
      Clodded in lumps of clay.

References

“clod”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

A late by-form of clot of unclear provenance. Compare Old English *clod, a form of clot found in compounds and placenames.

Pronunciation

Noun

clod (plural cloddes)

  1. A clod; a ball of earth or clay.
  2. (rare) A clot or clump of blood.
  3. (rare) A shoulder of beef.

Derived terms

Descendants

  • English: clod
  • Scots: clod

References

Welsh

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *klod, from Proto-Celtic *klutom (“rumour; fame”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- (“heard, famous”) (whence also clywed (“to hear”)).

Pronunciation

Noun

clod m (plural clodydd)

  1. praise, renown, credit
  2. distinction (in exam results)

Derived terms

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
clod glod nghlod chlod
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

  • R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “clod”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
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