clack

clack

to make a sudden, sharp sound, as by striking two hard substances together
to talk fast, foolishly, etc.; chatter
to cluck or cackle

Origin of clack

Middle English clacken, probably from Old Norse klaka, to chatter; of echoic origin, originally

to cause to make a sudden, sharp sound

a sudden, sharp sound
a device that makes such sounds
chatter

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"clack." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 10 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clack>.

APA Style

clack. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clack

clack

verb

clacked, clack·ing, clacks

verb

intransitive

To make an abrupt, sharp sound, as in the collision of two hard surfaces.
To chatter thoughtlessly or at length.
To cackle or cluck, as a hen.

verb

transitive

To cause to make an abrupt, sharp sound.

noun

A clacking sound: the clack of an old-fashioned typewriter.
Something that makes a clacking sound.
Thoughtless, prolonged talk; chatter.

Origin of clack

Middle English clakken from Old Norse klaka of imitative origin

Related Forms:

clack′er
noun

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"clack." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 10 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clack>.

APA Style

clack. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clack

Noun

(plural clacks)

an abrupt, sharp sound, especially one made by two hard objects colliding repetitively; a clatter; in sound, midway between a click and a clunk
Anything that causes a clacking noise, such as the clapper of a mill, or a clack valve.
chatter; prattle

Verb

(third-person singular simple present clacks, present participle clacking, simple past and past participle clacked)

(intransitive) To make a sudden, sharp noise, or succession of noises; to click.
To cause to make a sudden, sharp noise, or succession of noises; to click.
To chatter or babble; to utter rapidly without consideration.
(UK) To cut the sheep's mark off (wool), to make the wool weigh less and thus yield less duty.

Origin

From Middle English clacken, clakken, claken, from Old English *clacian ("to slap, clap, clack"; suggested by clacu (“din; harm, injury”)), from Proto-Germanic *klakōną (“to clap, chirp”), from Proto-Indo-European *glag- (“to make a noise, clap, twitter”), from Proto-Indo-European *gal- (“to roop, scream, shout”). Cognate with Scots clake, claik (“to utter cries", also "to bedaub, sully with a sticky substance”), Dutch klakken (“to clack, crack”), Low German klakken (“to slap on, daub”), Norwegian klakke (“to clack, strike, knock”), Icelandic klaka (“to twitter, chatter, wrangle, dispute”).