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clue

/kluː/ /kljuː/ (obsolete)
  • noun
  • verb
  • from Old English

Information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion.

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1 All current definitions

Every sense of “clue” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.

noun

  1. Information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion.

    Give me a clue because the question is too vague.

  2. An object or a kind of indication which may be used as evidence.

    The detectives were looking for some clues at the scene of the crime.

  3. Insight or understanding ("to have a clue [about]" or "to have clue". See have a clue, clue stick)

    I had little clue that I was being carefully monitored by the CCTV.

  4. The text that indicates an answer in a crossword puzzle.
Older & obsolete senses (1)
  1. archaicA strand of yarn etc. as used to guide one through a labyrinth; something which points the way, a guide.
Wiktionary: “clue” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

verb

  1. To provide with a clue.

    The crossword compiler wasn't sure how to clue the word "should".

  2. To provide someone with information which they lack (often used with "in" or "up").

    Smith, clue Jones in on what's been happening.

Wiktionary: “clue” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
Cross-check: WordNet senses (3)
  1. nouna slight indication — also: hint
  2. nounevidence that helps to solve a problem — also: clew, cue
  3. verbroll into a ball — also: clew
Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License

Synonyms: hint, indication, suggestion, signature, idea

Wiktionary: “clue” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

2 History of the word

The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.

The word’s journey, newest to oldest:

  1. English (today)clue
  2. Middle Englishclew
  3. Old Englishclēowen
  4. Proto-West Germanic*kliuwīn “ball, clump”
  5. Proto-Germanic*kliuwīną
  6. Proto-Indo-European*glew- “to ball up, clump together; lump, swelling”

Variant of clew (“a ball of thread or yarn”), from Middle English clew, clewe, clowe, clue, clwe, clyw, clywe, from Old English clēowen, clīewen, clīowen, clīwen, clȳwe, clȳwen (“ball, sphere; skein”), from Proto-West Germanic *kliuwīn (“ball, clump”), from Proto-Germanic *kliuwīną, *klewô (“bale, ball, clump, mass”), from Proto-Indo-European *glew- (“to ball up, clump together; lump, swelling”). Sense evolution with reference to the one which the mythical Theseus used to guide him out of the Minotaur's labyrinth. More at clew.

Cognates

Cognate with Cimbrian khnaul (“ball of yarn”), Dutch kluwe, kluwen (“ball thread or yarn, clew”), German Knäuel (“ballyarn; tangle”), Norwegian Nynorsk kljå (“a loom weight”); also Sanskrit ग्लौ (glau, “the moon; camphor; the earth”).

Wiktionary: “clue” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Derivatives — words built from “clue”

cluebatcluebieCluedocluefulcluelesscluelikecluemanshipclueymicroclueunclueclue-by-fourcluestickunclued

Phrases & compounds

no clueclue cardclue stickcontext clueget a cluehave a cluenot have a cluerebel without a cluewhat was your first clueclue inclue upclued up

Related terms

evidencered herring
Wiktionary: “clue” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Want to go deeper? See also “clue” on Etymonline ↗

3 Original language

Where “clue” came from before it was English.

Native English word, from
Old English
Old English clēowen
Deepest root (reconstructed)
Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European *glew- “to ball up, clump together; lump, swelling”
Wiktionary: “clue” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

4 Original meaning

What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root
“to ball up, clump together; lump, swelling”
Proto-Indo-European *glew- — rebuilt by linguists from its descendants; never written down.
Wiktionary: “clue” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913

A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.

clue n. [OE. clewe, clowe, clue, AS. cleowen, cliwen, clywe ball of thread; akin to D. kluwen, OHG. chliwa, chliuwa, G. dim. kleuel, kn, and perch. to L. gluma hull, husk, Skr. glaus sort of ball or tumor. Perch. akin to E. claw. Knawel.]

  1. A ball of thread, yarn, or cord; also, The thread itself.
  2. That which guides or directs one in anything of a doubtful or intricate nature; that which gives a hint in the solution of a mystery.
  3. A lower corner of a square sail, or the after corner of a fore-and-aft sail.
  4. A loop and thimbles at the corner of a sail.

clue n. [See Clew, n.]

  1. A ball of thread; a thread or other means of guidance. Same as Clew.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), public domain, via GCIDE

5 Use it with confidence

Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.

nounMeaning: Information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion.

Give me a clue because the question is too vague.

Black tracks on the magneto, a hairline crack in the flywheel casing, pitted points or a spitless exhaust — all are clues to potential conkouts1965, Popular Mechanics, volume 123, number 3, page 140:

nounMeaning: An object or a kind of indication which may be used as evidence.

The detectives were looking for some clues at the scene of the crime.

And to unravel the question of why I was doing this, I develop the negative, inspect the shadows, search for hidden clues.1999, John Vernon, “Heat”, in A Book of Reasons, Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton Mifflin Company, →ISBN, page 17:

nounMeaning: Insight or understanding ("to have a clue [about]" or "to have clue". See have a clue, clue stick)

I had little clue that I was being carefully monitored by the CCTV.

verbMeaning: To provide with a clue.

The crossword compiler wasn't sure how to clue the word "should".

verbMeaning: To provide someone with information which they lack (often used with "in" or "up").

Smith, clue Jones in on what's been happening.

I stared into my mind for some image to clue me what to say but I saw only blackness there.2014, John Macgregor, The Antibiography of Ian Mcnulty:

Wiktionary: “clue” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Three steps to owning it

  1. Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
  2. Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
  3. Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?

6 The mastery game

Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.

Step 1 of 10

Say it, then spell it

clue

/kluː/

Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.

Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________

clue

/kluː/ · noun, verb

Step 1 — Say it and write it

Say “clue” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.

Step 2 — Know every meaning

Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.

1. (noun) Information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion.
2. (noun) An object or a kind of indication which may be used as evidence.
3. (noun) Insight or understanding ("to have a clue [about]" or "to have clue". See have a clue, clue stick)
4. (noun) The text that indicates an answer in a crossword puzzle.
5. (verb) To provide with a clue.

Step 3 — Which meaning is it?

“Give me a clue because the question is too vague.”

A. The text that indicates an answer in a crossword puzzle.
B. Information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion.
C. An object or a kind of indication which may be used as evidence.

Circle the meaning used.

“The detectives were looking for some clues at the scene of the crime.”

A. Insight or understanding ("to have a clue [about]" or "to have clue". See have a clue, clue stick)
B. An object or a kind of indication which may be used as evidence.
C. The text that indicates an answer in a crossword puzzle.

Circle the meaning used.

“I had little clue that I was being carefully monitored by the CCTV.”

A. Insight or understanding ("to have a clue [about]" or "to have clue". See have a clue, clue stick)
B. To provide with a clue.
C. An object or a kind of indication which may be used as evidence.

Circle the meaning used.

Step 4 — History and origin

Which language did “clue” come into English from?   A. Old English  B. Old Norse  C. Anglo-Norman  D. French

Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):

Write three words built from “clue” and what each means:

Step 5 — Original meaning

The earliest traceable form is Proto-Indo-European *glew-. What did it mean?

How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?

Step 6 — Use it yourself

Write a sentence using “clue” to mean: Information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion.
Write a sentence using “clue” to mean: An object or a kind of indication which may be used as evidence.
Write a sentence using “clue” to mean: Insight or understanding ("to have a clue [about]" or "to have clue". See have a clue, clue stick)

☐ I can explain its meanings   ☐ I know its history   ☐ I know its original language   ☐ I know its original meaning   ☐ I can use it confidently

Answer key — clue

Which meaning, sentence 1: B. Information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion.

Which meaning, sentence 2: B. An object or a kind of indication which may be used as evidence.

Which meaning, sentence 3: A. Insight or understanding ("to have a clue [about]" or "to have clue". See have a clue, clue stick)

Origin: A. Old English (Old English clēowen)

Journey: English clue ← Middle English clew ← Old English clēowen ← Proto-West Germanic *kliuwīn ← Proto-Germanic *kliuwīną ← Proto-Indo-European *glew-

Some derivatives: cluebat, cluebie, Cluedo, clueful, clueless, cluelike, cluemanship, cluey

Original meaning: Proto-Indo-European *glew- — “to ball up, clump together; lump, swelling”

Etymology: Variant of clew (“a ball of thread or yarn”), from Middle English clew, clewe, clowe, clue, clwe, clyw, clywe, from Old English clēowen, clīewen, clīowen, clīwen, clȳwe, clȳwen (“ball, sphere; skein”), from Proto-West Germanic *kliuwīn (“ball, clump”), from Proto-Germanic *kliuwīną, *klewô (“bale, ball, clump, mass”), from Proto-Indo-European *glew- (“to ball up, clump together; lump, swelling”). Sense evolution with reference to the one which the mythical Theseus used to guide him out of the Minotaur's labyrinth. More at clew.

Sources: Wiktionary “clue” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/clue#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/clue