Kluster

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A bunch or grouping of similar things positioned close together, such as stars, grapes, or data points arranged in one spot
2. An alternative spelling for a tight gathering of objects, people, or items that sit or occur near one another
3. A compact collection of items or elements that are bunched up together, often forming a distinct, identifiable group

Etymology: "Kluster" is a nonstandard spelling of "cluster," the form English has used since the Old English period. The Old English "clyster" meant a bunch or group of things, such as grapes or a clump of flowers. Its exact origin is uncertain, but it is probably related to Germanic words for a lump or ball, and possibly to "clot." The "k" spelling appears mainly in informal writing or in brand names and German-influenced usage, where "Kluster" is the ordinary word for a cluster. English also has a homograph with a stranger past: "clyster," an old word for an enema, comes from Greek "klyzein," meaning "to wash out." That word is unrelated to the grape-bunch sense, and the two were never the same word. Spelling variants and near-identical forms like these are a common source of confusion.