Clutches

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈklʌt͡ʃɪz/

Definitions

1. Grasps something firmly with the hands or claws ; a device in machinery that connects and disconnects power between moving parts
2. Seizes or holds something tightly and securely ; a mechanism that allows engagement or disengagement of rotational force in vehicles or machines
3. Takes hold of something with a tight grip to prevent release ; a component in machines that controls the transmission of motion between shafts

Etymology: Before it meant a grip, the English verb "clutch" was "clucchen" in Middle English, descended from Old English "clyċċan," meaning "to clutch" or "clench." The noun is older in a different sense: Middle English "cleche" meant "claw" or "talon," a word with Scots relatives like "cleuk" and "cluke," which also meant claw. Its origin is uncertain, and it may have been reshaped to match the verb over time. The verb traces back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to ball up" or "conglomerate," so the idea of gathering something into a tight mass sits at its core. A second possibility links the verb to an older root for "claw" or "hand," which would connect it to the Irish "glac," meaning "hand." Plural "clutches" is the form of the noun, so the plural sense of the word is the one that usually appears in everyday English, as in a hand's grasp or a bird's claws. The machine sense came later, from the same grasping idea applied to a mechanism that grips and releases a shaft.

Synonyms: grips, holds, seizes

Antonyms: releases, lets go