Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cly

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.60 in modern English

Syllables: cly
IPA

8

Scrabble Score

3

Letters

1

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To seize; to steal.

Obsolete; Slang; Transitive verb

noun

A person's pocket.

Obsolete; Slang

Example Sentences

"Wapping thou I know does love, / Else the ruffin cly the mort; / From thy stampers then remove, / Thy drawers, and let's prig in sport."

Etymology

Probably related to claw (compare Low German kleien, klaien (“to claw, scratch, grasp, seize”), dialectal German klauen, kläuen, kleuen (“to steal”), German klauen (“to steal, rip off”)). Alternatively referred by some to Dutch kleed (“a garment”); "to fake a cly" was to take a garment.

Usage

Inflected Forms

clies (present, singular) clying (participle, present) clied (participle, past) clied (past) clies (plural)

Derived Forms

clyfaker clyfaking

Phrases

frisk someone's cly

Frequently Paired Words

cloyer clye

Homonyms

Cley

Rhymes With

by my why high on high try guy buy little guy why oh why july die

Questions

What does cly mean?: To seize; to steal.
Where does cly come from?: Probably related to claw (compare Low German kleien, klaien (“to claw, scratch, grasp, seize”), dialectal German klauen, kläuen, kleuen (“to steal”), German klauen (“to steal, rip off”)). Alternatively referred by some to Dutch kleed (“a garment”); "to fake a cly" was to take a garment.

How to pronounce cly

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