clench
/klɛnt͡ʃ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.65 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "I clenched the rope in my teeth."
- "Clinch the pointed spear."
- "He clenched his fist in anger."
- "[She] flung herself / Down on the great King's couch, and writhed upon it, / And clench'd her fingers till they bit the palm, / And shriek'd out 'traitor' to the unhearing wall, […]"
- "to clench an argument"
- "Captain Treverton, it is hardly necessary to say, was not long in clenching the bargain on his side. The estate changed hands; […]"
Etymology
From Middle English clenchen, from Old English clenċan (“to clinch; hold fast”), a variant of Old English clenġan (“to adhere; remain”), from Proto-Germanic *klangijaną, causative of *klinganą (“to stick; adhere”). Related to cling.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: clenchen, clenċan, clenġan, *klangijaną