Clock
/klɒk/noun
A device for measuring and displaying time.
Did you know?In medieval English, *clock* could refer specifically to a bell that struck the hours, and the word spread through Europe from a sound-imitating root tied to striking or clapping.
Etymological Timeline
Late Old English / Middle Dutch influence
English
clokke
“A bell or a timekeeping bell that marked the hours”
Middle Dutch
NL
clocke
“A bell, especially one used to signal time”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*klukkô
“A bell or clapper-like sound”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gel-
“To sound, ring, or resound”
Middle English
English
clock
“A device that measures time by sounding or displaying hours”
Modern English
English
clock
“An instrument for telling time”