clutch

A vintage clutch with a fold-over closure, made of red snakeskin.

Meanings

Verb

Noun

Adjective

  • Performing or tending to perform well in difficult, high-pressure situations.

Related

Similar words

Origin

  • From Middle English clucchen, clicchen, cluchen, clechen, cleken, from Old English clyċċan, from Proto-Germanic *klukjaną, from Proto-Germanic *klu-, from Proto-Indo-European *glew-.
  • , of uncertain origin, with the form probably assimilated to the verb.
  • Alternative etymology derives Old English clyċċan from Proto-Germanic *klēk- ("claw, hand"), from Proto-Indo-European *glēk-, *ǵlēḱ-. If so, then cognate with Irish glac ("hand").
  • Variant form of cletch, from Middle English cleken ("to hatch"), perhaps from Old Norse klekja ("to hatch").
  • Unknown; possibly analagous to clinch, pinch, which have similar senses.

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