clamber

Meanings

Verb

• To climb (something) with some difficulty, or in a haphazard fashion.

Noun

• The act of clambering; a difficult or haphazard climb.

Origin

• From Middle English clambren, clameren, clemeren, then either:
• possibly from clam, clamb, clemb, past tense of climben, and influenced by Old English clæmman; or
• from Old English *clambrian, from Proto-Germanic *klambrōną or *klambizōną.
• The English word is cognate with Low German klemmern, klempern, Scots clammer; and compare also Danish klamre, Icelandic klambra, klembra, Swedish klamra.
• The noun is derived from the verb.