Clinking

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of producing a sharp sound from two hard items lightly colliding is characterized by a brief, metallic ring
2. This occurs when glasses or utensils make contact, creating a distinctive noise known for its high pitch
3. The noise made when two small metal items gently touch, producing a clear, ringing sound

Etymology: The sound of "clinking" may be older than the English language itself, since its root likely imitates the noise of metal against metal. The Proto-Germanic "klinganą" meant "to sound," and it passed into Old English as "clincan" before becoming the Middle English "clinken." Its relatives survive in modern German "klingen" and Dutch "klinken," all carrying the same bright, ringing quality. The word is also tangled up with one of London's most notorious prisons. The Clink was a jail in Southwark, and its name is thought to come from the sound of doors being bolted or chains rattling, so the prison took its name from the very noise its inmates heard all day. Over time "clink" became slang for prison itself, a sense that still lingers in British English.

Synonyms: tinkling, ringing, jingling