Clammen

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Archaic: to coat or smear a surface with a sticky substance such as clay or mud ; to bind something tight or hold it in a constricting grip
2. An old verb meaning to plaster or daub something with a adhesive material ; to fasten or confine by wrapping something firmly around it
3. Obsolete term for smearing a surface with a gluey or clinging substance ; for binding or restricting something so that it cannot move freely

Etymology: In Old English, "clǣman" meant to smear or daub, especially with clay or plaster. It grew from "clām," a word for sticky clay or mud, so the verb described the act of coating a surface with something that clung. Words of this family spread through the Germanic languages, and the sense of sticking, rather than spreading, became the dominant one. The English word "clammy," meaning damp and tacky, comes from the same stem, as does the verb "clam," meaning to stick or cling. Dialect use of "clammen" has kept the older idea of something gummy or stuck fast to the hands or surfaces.