clam

clam · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*klammjan“press, squeeze together”
2. Old English · inherited fromclam“bond, fetter, grip, grasp”
3. Middle English · inherited fromclam“pincers, vice, clamp”
4. English todayclam

From Middle English clam (“pincers, vice, clamp”), from Old English clam (“bond, fetter, grip, grasp”), from Proto-West Germanic *klammjan (“press, squeeze together”). The sense “dollar” may allude to wampum. The sense "Scientologist" alludes to the Scientologist belief that human thetans (souls) previously inhabited clams.

clam · adjective, noun, verb²

1. Old English · inherited fromclǣman“to smear, bedaub”
2. Middle English · inherited fromclammen
3. English todayclam

From Middle English clammen, clemen (“to smear, bedaub”), from Old English clǣman (“to smear, bedaub”). Cognate with German klamm (“clammy”). See also clammy (“damp, cold and sticky”) and clem (“to adhere, stick, plug (a hole)”).

Words from the same roots