Clues

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kluːz/

Definitions

1. Hints or items of information that help reveal the solution to a puzzle or mystery
2. Small pieces of evidence or suggestions aimed at guiding someone to an answer or conclusion
3. Clues are signals or indications that assist in discovering or understanding something hidden

Etymology: The modern sense of "clue" started as a ball of thread. Old English "clēowen" meant a ball or skein of yarn, and the word survives today as "clew," a variant spelling still used for the ball of thread or the lower corner of a sail. The Greek myth of Theseus, who unrolled a ball of thread to find his way out of the Minotaur's labyrinth, gave the idea that a thread leads you through a tangle, and over time that guiding thread became the hint that leads a detective or puzzle-solver to the answer. "Clues" is simply the plural of "clue." Its root sense, the ball of yarn, connects it to a family of related words across Germanic languages, including Dutch "kluwen" and German "Knäuel," both meaning a ball of yarn or a tangle.

Synonyms: hints, indications, evidence

Antonyms: mysteries, puzzles