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Origin and history of clot

clot(n.)

Old English clott "a round mass, lump," from Proto-Germanic *klutto- (source also of Dutch kloot "ball," Danish klods "a block, lump," German Klotz "lump, block"); probably related to or confused with cleat and clod (q.v.). Of blood from 1610s,

clot(v.)

"to form in a coagulated mass," early 15c., from clot (n.). Of fluids (especially blood) from 1590s. Related: Clotted; clotting. Clotted cream (1799) originally was clouted cream (1540s).

also from early 15c.

Entries linking to clot

cleat(n.)

c. 1300, clete "a wedge," from Old English *cleat "a lump," from West Germanic *klaut "firm lump" (source also of Middle Low German klot, klute, Middle Dutch cloot, Dutch kloot, Old High German kloz, German kloß "clod, dumpling").

In Middle English, a wedge of wood bolted to a spar, etc., to keep it from slipping (late 14c.). Meaning "thin metal plate fastened under a shoe, etc." (originally to preserve the sole) is from c. 1825, originally a dialect word. The athletic cleat, for gripping, is attested from 1904.

clod(n.)

"lump of earth or clay," Old English clod- (in clodhamer "the fieldfare," a kind of thrush), from Proto-Germanic *kludda-, from PIE *gleu- (see clay).

Synonymous with collateral clot until the meanings differentiated 18c. Meaning "person" ("mere lump of earth") is from 1590s; that of "blockhead, dolt, stupid fellow" is from c. 1600 (compare clodpate, clodpoll, etc. in the same sense). It also was a verb in Middle English, meaning both "to coagulate, form into clods" and "to break up clods after plowing."

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Trends of clot

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to explore

clout
Old English clut "lump of something," also "patch of cloth put over a hole to mend it," from Proto-Germanic *klutaz (source also of Old Norse klute "kerchief," Danish klud "rag, tatter," Frisian klut "lump," Dutch kluit "clod, lump"); perhaps related to clot (v.). In later use "a
clog
early 14c., clogge "a lump of wood," origin unknown. Also used in Middle English of large pieces of jewelry and large testicles. Compare Norwegian klugu "knotty log of wood." Meaning "anything that impedes action" is from 1520s, via the notion of "block or mass constituting an en
curdle
1630s (earlier crudle, 1580s), "to thicken, cause to congeal, change or form into curd" (transitive), frequentative of curd (v.) "to make into curd" (late 14c., from the noun; see curd). Intransitive sense of "to coagulate, thicken" is from c. 1600. To curdle (one's) blood, in th
dag
"clot of dirty wool about the rear end of a sheep," 1731; 5....
coronary
As a noun meaning "a blockage of the flow of blood to the heart caused by a clot in a coronary artery," it dates from 1955...
hem
compress" (source also of Armenian kamel "to press, squeeze," Lithuanian kamuoti "press together, stop," Russian kom "mass, clot...
change
c. 1200, "to alter, make different, change" (transitive); early 13c. as "to substitute one for another;" mid-13c. as "to make (something) other than what it was, cause to turn or pass from one state to another;" from late 13c. as "to become different, be altered" (intransitive),
modify
late 14c., modifien, "alter, amend, adjust, change the properties, form, or function of;" also "set limits, keep within the bounds of reason; choose a middle course," from Old French modifier (14c.), from Latin modificare "to limit, measure off, restrain," from modus "measure, ma
catalogue
"a list of separate items, an itemized enumeration," usually in order and with some description, early 15c., cathaloge, from Old French catalogue "list, index" (14c.), and directly from Late Latin catalogus, from Greek katalogos "a list, register, enrollment" (such as the katalog
coagulate
early 15c., "to clot, congeal, become curdled, change from a liquid into a thickened mass; to make to clot," from Latin coagulatus, past participle of coagulare "to cause to curdle," from cogere "to curdle, collect" (see cogent). The earlier verb was coagule, c. 1400, from Old Fr

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Dictionary entries near clot
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