Cleverness
/ˈklɛv.ər.nəs/noun
The quality of being quick-witted, skillful, or mentally sharp.
Did you know?Clever first appears in English as a word for being dexterous or handy, and only later shifts into the mental brilliance we use today.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*glebʰ-
“to seize, grasp”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*klibjōną / *klibaz
“to cling, be close, stick”
Old English
OE
clifer
“a claw, hand, or grasping member”
Middle English
English
clever
“dexterous, skillful with the hands”
Late 16th Century
English
clever
“mentally quick, intelligent”
Modern English
English
cleverness
“the quality of being quick-witted or mentally sharp”