Etymology

kluge

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Today it means: Something that should not work, but does. Full definition →

German klug ← Dutch Low Saxon klütje
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kluge · noun, verb1

  1. Dutch Low Saxon · derived fromklütje“(little) dumpling, clod”
  2. German · derived fromklug“clever”
  3. English todaykluge

From US military slang, possibly from German klug (“clever”), or perhaps from Dutch Low Saxon klütje (“(little) dumpling, clod”), Jutland Danish klyt (“piece of bad workmanship, klud(g)e”); compare standard Danish kludder (“mess, disorder”). (Compare English klutz.) According to the OED, an "invented word" influenced by bodge and fudge. Compare kludge.

Kluge · proper noun2

From the German surname meaning "clever one, "from klug (“clever”) + -e.

Words from the same roots

Germanklug all →

KlugkludgeKlugh

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.