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clou

American  
[kloo] / klu /

noun

  1. a major point of interest or attention.


Etymology

Origin of clou

1880–85; < French: literally, a nail < Latin clāvus

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The name of the restaurant — clou translates to “nail” in French — conveys “something that holds the greatest attention,” much like Cartier’s signature Juste Un Clou bracelet, says Stefanelli.

From Washington Post Jan. 24, 2023

In sketching rapidly the story of the ballad,— the raid from England into Ettrick, the return of the raiders, the pursuit,—I omitted the clou, the pivot, the central point of dramatic interest.

From Sir Walter Scott and the Border Minstrelsy by Andrew Lang

But had he not refused her the wherewithal to remember him—the pearls she needed as the clou of her dear collection, the great relic among relics?

From Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford love story by Sir Max Beerbohm

But the clou of the whole budget was contained in a private letter from my Chief.

From The Right Stuff Some Episodes in the Career of a North Briton by Ian Hay

The clou of the sale was undoubtedly the portrait of his wife and two children.

From Promenades of an Impressionist by James Huneker

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