cleat
/kliːt/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 2.37 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A strip of wood or iron fastened on transversely to something in order to give strength, prevent warping, hold position, etc.
noun
A continuous metal strip, or angled piece, used to secure metal components.
noun
A protrusion on the bottom of a shoe or wheel meant for better traction.
noun
An athletic shoe equipped with cleats.
verb
To strengthen with a cleat.
Example Sentences
- "[...] the people of that island erected lofty spars along the seacoast, to which the look-outs ascended by means of nailed cleats, something as fowls go upstairs in a hen-house."
- "I had learned that cattle willingly walk down a ramp that has cleats to provide secure, nonslip footing."
- "Near-synonym: calk"
- "He needs to put on five pieces of gear: his helmet, left glove, right glove, left cleat, and right cleat."
- "Italy, which lifted the trophy for the fourth time in Berlin two decades ago, has been spiraling downward ever since. The Azzurri didn’t survive their group in 2010 and 2014 and haven’t qualified since. This time the Norwegians, known more for their skill on skis than in cleats, beat them twice in group play by a combined 7-1. Then the Italians lost the playoff to Bosnia-Herzegovina on penalty kicks. Even with a swollen field, just getting here is an accomplishment."
- "An inner floor over the whole area of the deck provides a space for all the cable and pipe runs. On one side the cables are cleated into a duct which is sealed against the ingress of water and oil; the pipe lines run underneath the opposite side floor."
Etymology
From Middle English clete, from Old English *clēat (“block, wedge”), from Proto-West Germanic *klaut, from Proto-Germanic *klautaz (“firm lump”), from Proto-Indo-European *gelewd-, from *gley- (“to glue, stick together, form into a ball”). Cognate with Dutch kloot (“ball; testicle”) and German Kloß (“clump”). See also clay and clout.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: clete, *clēat, *klaut, *klautaz, *gelewd-