clew

[ kloo ]

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. 5).

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 about 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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use clew in a sentence

But if the comrades preserve silence, all will be well, for I was careful to leave no clew.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander Berkman
It is not a common one, and if given to the papers, may result in our receiving a clew to a mystery which seems impenetrable.
The Circular Study | Anna Katharine Green
He did not see him, yet another man gave him the clew and unwittingly directed him to the house of Citizen Fargeau.
The Light That Lures | Percy Brebner
Mr. Nepean, I think, has indeed opened himself at last, and given a pretty plain clew to their disposition not to support you.
History of Prince Edward Island | Duncan Campbell
The label on a trade package of Hydronaphthol gives no clew as to the nature of the product.
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 1 of 2 | Various

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

Origin of 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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