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clout

UK/klaʊt/ US/klaʊt/ uncommon archaic dated informal obsolete
noun (4) verb (1)

noun

1.

a target used in archery

2.

special advantage or influence

  • “the chairman”
Synonyms
3.

a short nail with a flat head; used to attach sheet metal to wood

Synonyms
4.

(boxing) a blow with the fist

  • “I gave him a clout on his nose”
Synonyms

verb

1.

strike hard, especially with the fist

  • “He clouted his attacker”

Origin

From Middle English clout (“piece of cloth”), from Old English clūt (“piece of cloth, patch; metal plate”), from Proto-West Germanic *klūt, from Proto-Germanic *klūtaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gelewdos, from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to ball up, amass”). The influence sense originated in the dialect of Chicago, but has become widespread. Cognate with Old Norse klútr (“kerchief”), Swedish klut, Danish klud, Middle High German klōz (“lump”), whence German Kloß (“clump”), and dialectal Russian глуда (gluda). See also cleat.

Phrases

  • car clout
  • clout chaser
  • clout goblin
  • clout list
  • clout on
  • ne'er cast a clout till May be out

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.