Cutches

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A clutch of waterfowl or game birds; a group of eggs laid by birds; a mechanical device for connecting and disconnecting a power transmission
2. A collection of eggs produced at one time by a bird; a set of birds gathered together; a mechanism in vehicles that engages or disengages power flow
3. An assemblage of eggs or young birds hatched together; a cluster of animals considered as a unit; an automotive component controlling torque transmission

Etymology: "Cutches" is simply the plural of "cutch," and the plural is the only form that gets used in the sense of a group of birds or eggs. The singular "cutch" is a separate noun meaning a mass or hatch of birds, most often waterfowl or game birds, and it names the clutch of eggs a bird lays as well. The same word also sits behind the mechanical sense, a device for connecting and disconnecting power transmission, which is the earlier and more familiar sense of "clutch" that the spelling "cutch" shares with the bird meaning.

Synonyms: dyes, extracts, tannins