Cloth Cloth noun ; plural Cloths (#; 115), except in the sense of garments, when it is Clothes (klōthz or klōz). [ Middle English clath cloth, Anglo-Saxon clāþ cloth, garment; akin to Dutch kleed , Icelandic klæði , Danish klæde , cloth, Swedish kläde , German kleid garment, dress.] 1. A fabric made of fibrous material (or sometimes of wire, as in wire cloth); commonly, a woven fabric of cotton, woolen, or linen, adapted to be made into garments; specifically, woolen fabrics, as distinguished from all others.

2. The dress; raiment. [ Obsolete] See Clothes .

I'll ne'er distust my God for cloth and bread.
Quarles.

3. The distinctive dress of any profession, especially of the clergy; hence, the clerical profession.

Appeals were made to the priesthood. Would they tamely permit so gross an insult to be offered to their cloth ?
Macaulay.

The cloth , the clergy, are constituted for administering and for giving the best possible effect to . . . every axiom.
I. Taylor.

Body cloth . See under Body . -- Cloth of gold , a fabric woven wholly or partially of threads of gold. -- Cloth measure , the measure of length and surface by which cloth is measured and sold. For this object the standard yard is usually divided into quarters and nails. -- Cloth paper , a coarse kind of paper used in pressing and finishing woolen cloth. -- Cloth shearer , one who shears cloth and frees it from superfluous nap.

Clothe Clothe transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Clothed or Clad ; present participle & verbal noun Clothing .] [ Middle English clathen , clothen , clethen , Anglo-Saxon clāðian , clæðan . See Cloth .] 1. To put garments on; to cover with clothing; to dress.

Go with me, to clothe you as becomes you.
Shak.

2. To provide with clothes; as, to feed and clothe a family; to clothe one's self extravagantly.

Drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
Prov. xxiii. 21.

The naked every day he clad ,
When he put on his clothes.
Goldsmith.

3. Fig.: To cover or invest, as with a garment; as, to clothe one with authority or power.

Language in which they can clothe their thoughts.
Watts.

His sides are clothed with waving wood.
J. Dyer.

Thus Belial, with with words clothed in reason's garb.
Milton.

Clothe Clothe intransitive verb To wear clothes. [ Poetic]

Care no more to clothe eat.
Shak.

Clothes Clothes noun plural [ From Cloth .] 1. Covering for the human body; dress; vestments; vesture; -- a general term for whatever covering is worn, or is made to be worn, for decency or comfort.

She . . . speaks well, and has excellent good clothes .
Shak.

If I may touch but his clothes , I shall be whole.
Mark. v. 28.

2. The covering of a bed; bedclothes.

She turned each way her frighted head,
Then sunk it deep beneath the clothes .
Prior.

Body clothes . See under Body . -- Clothes moth (Zoology) , a small moth of the genus Tinea . The most common species ( T. flavifrontella ) is yellowish white. The larvæ eat woolen goods, furs, feathers, etc. They live in tubular cases made of the material upon which they feed, fastened together with silk.

Syn. -- Garments; dress; clothing; apparel; attire; vesture; raiment; garb; costume; habit; habiliments.

Clotheshorse Clothes"horse` (-hôrs`) noun A frame to hang clothes on.

Clothesline Clothes"line` noun A rope or wire on which clothes are hung to dry.

Clothespin Clothes"pin` noun A forked piece of wood, or a small spring clamp, used for fastening clothes on a line.

Clothespress Clothes"press` noun A receptacle for clothes.

Clothier Cloth"ier noun 1. One who makes cloths; one who dresses or fulls cloth. Hayward.

2. One who sells cloth or clothes, or who makes and sells clothes.

Clothing Cloth"ing noun 1. Garments in general; clothes; dress; raiment; covering.

From others he shall stand in need of nothing,
Yet on his brothers shall depend for clothing .
Milton.

As for me, . . . my clothing was sackloth.
Ps. xxxv. 13

2. The art of process of making cloth. [ R.]

Instructing [ refugees] in the art of clothing .
Ray.

3. A covering of non-conducting material on the outside of a boiler, or steam chamber, to prevent radiation of heat. Knight.

4. (Machinery) See Card clothing , under 3d Card .

Clothred Clot"hred past participle Clottered. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Clotpoll Clot"poll` noun See Clodpoll . [ Obsolete] Shak.

Clotted Clot"ted adjective Composed of clots or clods; having the quality or form of a clot; sticky; slimy; foul. "The clotted glebe." J. Philips.

When lust . . .
Lets in defilement to the inward parts,
The soul grows clotted by contagion.
Milton.

Clotter Clot"ter intransitive verb [ From Clot .] To concrete into lumps; to clot. [ Obsolete] " Clottered blood." Chapman.

Clotty Clot"ty adjective [ From Clot , noun ] Full of clots, or clods. " Clotty matter." Harvey.

Clôture Clô`ture" noun [ French] (Parliamentary Practice) See Closure , 5.

Clotweed Clot"weed` noun [ See Clote .] Cocklebur.

Cloud Cloud (kloud) noun [ Prob. from Anglo-Saxon clūd a rock or hillock, the application arising from the frequent resemblance of clouds to rocks or hillocks in the sky or air.] 1. A collection of visible vapor, or watery particles, suspended in the upper atmosphere.

I do set my bow in the cloud .
Gen. ix. 13.

» A classification of clouds according to their chief forms was first proposed by the meteorologist Howard, and this is still substantially employed. The following varieties and subvarieties are recognized: (a) Cirrus . This is the most elevated of all the forms of clouds; is thin, long-drawn, sometimes looking like carded wool or hair, sometimes like a brush or room, sometimes in curl-like or fleecelike patches. It is the cat's-tail of the sailor, and the mare's-tail of the landsman. (b) Cumulus . This form appears in large masses of a hemispherical form, or nearly so, above, but flat below, one often piled above another, forming great clouds, common in the summer, and presenting the appearance of gigantic mountains crowned with snow. It often affords rain and thunder gusts. (c) Stratus . This form appears in layers or bands extending horizontally. (d) Nimbus . This form is characterized by its uniform gray tint and ragged edges; it covers the sky in seasons of continued rain, as in easterly storms, and is the proper rain cloud . The name is sometimes used to denote a raining cumulus, or cumulostratus. (e) Cirro-cumulus . This form consists, like the cirrus , of thin, broken, fleecelice clouds, but the parts are more or less rounded and regulary grouped. It is popularly called mackerel sky . (f) Cirro-stratus . In this form the patches of cirrus coalesce in long strata, between cirrus and stratus. (g) Cumulo-stratus . A form between cumulus and stratus, often assuming at the horizon a black or bluish tint. -- Fog , cloud, motionless, or nearly so, lying near or in contact with the earth's surface. -- Storm scud , cloud lying quite low, without form, and driven rapidly with the wind.

2. A mass or volume of smoke, or flying dust, resembling vapor. "A thick cloud of incense." Ezek. viii. 11.

3. A dark vein or spot on a lighter material, as in marble; hence, a blemish or defect; as, a cloud upon one's reputation; a cloud on a title.

4. That which has a dark, lowering, or threatening aspect; that which temporarily overshadows, obscures, or depresses; as, a cloud of sorrow; a cloud of war; a cloud upon the intellect.

5. A great crowd or multitude; a vast collection. "So great a cloud of witnesses." Hebrew xii. 1.

6. A large, loosely-knitted scarf, worn by women about the head.

Cloud on a ( or the) title (Law) , a defect of title, usually superficial and capable of removal by release, decision in equity, or legislation. -- To be under a cloud , to be under suspicion or in disgrace; to be in disfavor. -- In the clouds , in the realm of facy and imagination; beyond reason; visionary.

Cloud Cloud transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Clouded ; present participle & verbal noun Clouding .] 1. To overspread or hide with a cloud or clouds; as, the sky is clouded .

2. To darken or obscure, as if by hiding or enveloping with a cloud; hence, to render gloomy or sullen.

One day too late, I fear me, noble lord,
Hath clouded all thy happy days on earth.
Shak.

Be not disheartened, then, nor cloud those looks.
Milton.

Nothing clouds men's minds and impairs their honesty like prejudice.
M. Arnold.

3. To blacken; to sully; to stain; to tarnish; to damage; -- esp. used of reputation or character.

I would not be a stander-by to hear
My sovereign mistress clouded so, without
My present vengeance taken.
Shak.

4. To mark with, or darken in, veins or sports; to variegate with colors; as, to cloud yarn.

And the nice conduct of a clouded cane.
Pope.

Cloud Cloud intransitive verb To grow cloudy; to become obscure with clouds; -- often used with up .

Worthies, away! The scene begins to cloud .
Shak.

Cloud-built Cloud"-built adjective Built of, or in, the clouds; airy; unsubstantial; imaginary. Cowper.

So vanished my cloud-built palace.
Goldsmith.

Cloud-burst Cloud"-burst` noun A sudden copious rainfall, as if the whole cloud had been precipitated at once.

Cloud-capped Cloud"-capped` adjective Having clouds resting on the top or head; reaching to the clouds; as, cloud-capped mountains.

Cloud-compeller Cloud"-com·pel`ler noun Cloud-gatherer; -- an epithet applied to Zeus. [ Poetic.] Pope.

Cloudage Cloud"age noun Mass of clouds; cloudiness. [ R.]

A scudding cloudage of shapes.
Coleridge.

Cloudberry Cloud"ber`ry noun (Botany) A species of raspberry ( Rubus Chamæmerous ) growing in the northern regions, and bearing edible, amber- colored fruit.

Cloudily Cloud"i·ly adverb In a cloudy manner; darkly; obscurely. Dryden.

Cloudiness Cloud"i·ness noun The state of being cloudy.

Clouding Cloud"ing noun 1. A mottled appearance given to ribbons and silks in the process of dyeing.

2. A diversity of colors in yarn, recurring at regular intervals. Knight.

Cloudland Cloud"land` noun Dreamland.

Cloudless Cloud"less adjective Without a cloud; clear; bright.

A cloudless winter sky.
Bankroft.

-- Cloud"less*ly , adverb -- Cloud"less*ness , noun

Cloudlet Cloud"let noun A little cloud. R. Browning.

Eve's first star through fleecy cloudlet peeping.
Coleridge.

Cloudy Cloud"y adjective [ Compar. Cloudier ; superl. Cloudiest .] [ From Cloud , noun ] 1. Overcast or obscured with clouds; clouded; as, a cloudy sky.

2. Consisting of a cloud or clouds.

As Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended.
Ex. xxxiii. 9

3. Indicating gloom, anxiety, sullenness, or ill-nature; not open or cheerful. "A cloudy countenance." Shak.

4. Confused; indistinct; obscure; dark.

Cloudy and confused notions of things.
Watts.

5. Lacking clearness, brightness, or luster. "A cloudy diamond." Boyle.

6. Marked with veins or sports of dark or various hues, as marble.

Clough Clough noun [ Middle English clough , cloghe , clou , clewch , Anglo-Saxon (assumed) clōh , akin to German klinge ravine.] 1. A cleft in a hill; a ravine; a narrow valley. Nares.

2. A sluice used in returning water to a channel after depositing its sediment on the flooded land. Knight.

Clough Clough noun (Com.) An allowance in weighing. See Cloff .

Clout Clout noun [ Anglo-Saxon clūt a little cloth, piece of metal; confer Swedish klut , Icelandic klūtr a kerchief, or W. clwt a clout, Gael. clud .] 1. A cloth; a piece of cloth or leather; a patch; a rag.

His garments, nought but many ragged clouts ,
With thorns together pinned and patched was.
Spenser.

A clout upon that head where late the diadem stood.
Shak.

2. A swadding cloth.

3. A piece; a fragment. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

4. The center of the butt at which archers shoot; -- probably once a piece of white cloth or a nail head.

A'must shoot nearer or he'll ne'er hit the clout .
Shak.

5. An iron plate on an axletree or other wood to keep it from wearing; a washer.

6. A blow with the hand. [ Low]

Clout nail , a kind of wrought-iron nail heaving a large flat head; -- used for fastening clouts to axletrees, plowshares, etc., also for studding timber, and for various purposes.

Clout Clout transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Clouted ; present participle & verbal noun Clouting .] [ Middle English clutien . clouten , to patch. See Clout , noun ] 1. To cover with cloth, leather, or other material; to bandage; patch, or mend, with a clout.

And old shoes and clouted upon their feet.
Josh. ix. 5.

Paul, yea, and Peter, too, had more skill in . . . clouting an old tent than to teach lawyers.
Latimer.

2. To join or patch clumsily.

If fond Bavius vent his clouted song.
P. Fletcher

3. To quard with an iron plate, as an axletree.

4. To give a blow to; to strike. [ Low]

The . . . queen of Spain took off one of her chopines and clouted Olivarez about the noddle with it.
Howell.

5. To stud with nails, as a timber, or a boot sole.

Clouted cream , clotted cream, i. e. , cream obtained by warming new milk. A. Philips.

» " Clouted brogues" in Shakespeare and " clouted shoon" in Milton have been understood by some to mean shoes armed with nails; by others, patched shoes.

Clouterly Clout"er·ly adjective [ From Clout , noun ] Clumsy; awkward. [ Obsolete]

Rough-hewn, cloutery verses.
E. Phillips.

Clove Clove imperfect of Cleave . Cleft. Spenser.

Clove hitch (Nautical) See under Hitch . -- Clove hook (Nautical) , an iron two-part hook, with jaws overlapping, used in bending chain sheets to the clews of sails; -- called also clip hook . Knight.

Clove Clove noun [ Dutch kloof . See Cleave , transitive verb ] A cleft; a gap; a ravine; -- rarely used except as part of a proper name; as, Kaaterskill Clove ; Stone Clove .

Clove Clove noun [ Middle English clow , from French clou nail, clou de girofle a clove, lit. nail of clove, from Latin clavus nail, perhaps akin to clavis key, English clavicle . The clove was so called from its resemblance to a nail. So in Dutch kruidnagel clove, lit. herb-nail or spice-nail . Confer Cloy .] A very pungent aromatic spice, the unexpanded flower bud of the clove tree ( Eugenia, or Caryophullus, aromatica ), a native of the Molucca Isles.

Clove camphor . (Chemistry) See Eugenin . -- Clove gillyflower , Clove pink (Botany) , any fragrant self-colored carnation.

Clove Clove noun [ Anglo-Saxon clufe an ear of corn, a clove of garlic; confer cleófan to split, English cleave .] 1. (Botany) One of the small bulbs developed in the axils of the scales of a large bulb, as in the case of garlic.

Developing, in the axils of its skales, new bulbs, of what gardeners call cloves .
Lindley.

2. A weight. A clove of cheese is about eight pounds, of wool, about seven pounds. [ Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Cloven Clo"ven past participle & adjective from Cleave , transitive verb

To show the cloven foot or hoof , to reveal a devilish character, or betray an evil purpose, notwithstanding disguises, -- Satan being represented dramatically and symbolically as having cloven hoofs.

Cloven-footed, Cloven-hoofed Clo"ven-foot`ed, Clo"ven-hoofed` adjective Having the foot or hoof divided into two parts, as the ox.

Clover Clo"ver (klō"vẽr) noun [ Middle English claver , clover , Anglo-Saxon clǣfre ; akin to LG. & Danish klever , Dutch klaver , German klee , Swedish klöfver .] (Botany) A plant of different species of the genus Trifolium ; as the common red clover, T. pratense , the white, T. repens , and the hare's foot, T. arvense .

Clover weevil (Zoology) a small weevil ( Apion apricans ), that destroys the seeds of clover. -- Clover worm (Zoology) , the larva of a small moth ( Asopia costalis ), often very destructive to clover hay. -- In clover , in very pleasant circumstances; fortunate. [ Colloq.] -- Sweet clover . See Meliot .

Clovered Clo"vered adjective Covered with growing clover.

Flocks thick nibbling through the clovered vale.
Thomson.

Clowe-gilofre Clowe"-gi·lof`re noun [ See 3d Clove , and Gillyflower .] Spice clove. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Clown Clown (kloun) noun [ Confer Icelandic klunni a clumsy, boorish fellow, North Fries. klönne clown, dial. Swedish klunn log, Danish klunt log, block, and English clump , noun ] 1. A man of coarse nature and manners; an awkward fellow; an ill-bred person; a boor. Sir P. Sidney.

2. One who works upon the soil; a rustic; a churl.

The clown , the child of nature, without guile.
Cowper.

3. The fool or buffoon in a play, circus, etc.

The clown shall make those laugh whose lungs are tickle o'the sere.
Shak.

Clown Clown intransitive verb To act as a clown; -- with it . [ Obsolete]

Beshrew me, he clowns it properly indeed.
B. Jonson.

Clownage Clown"age noun Behavior or manners of a clown; clownery. [ Obsolete] B. Jonson.

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