clue en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
- /kljuː/ (obsolete)
- /kluː/
Etymology
Variant of clew (“a ball of thread or yarn”), from Middle English clew, clewe, clowe, clue, clwe, clyw, clywe, from Old English clēowen, clīewen, clīowen, clīwen, clȳwe, clȳwen (“ball, sphere; skein”), from Proto-West Germanic *kliuwīn (“ball, clump”), from Proto-Germanic *kliuwīną, *klewô (“bale, ball, clump, mass”), from Proto-Indo-European *glew- (“to ball up, clump together; lump, swelling”). Sense evolution with reference to the one which the mythical Theseus used to guide him out of the Minotaur's labyrinth. More at clew. Cognates Cognate with Cimbrian khnaul (“ball of yarn”), Dutch kluwe, kluwen (“ball thread or yarn, clew”), German Knäuel (“ballyarn; tangle”), Norwegian Nynorsk kljå (“a loom weight”); also Sanskrit ग्लौ (glau, “the moon; camphor; the earth”).
Meanings
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(archaic) A strand of yarn etc. as used to guide one through a labyrinth; something which points the way, a guide.
she had even had in the past a small smug conviction that in the domestic labyrinth she always kept the clue.
1897, Henry James, What Maisie Knew:
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Information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion.
Give me a clue because the question is too vague.
Black tracks on the magneto, a hairline crack in the flywheel casing, pitted points or a spitless exhaust — all are clues to potential conkouts
1965, Popular Mechanics, volume 123, number 3, page 140:
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An object or a kind of indication which may be used as evidence.
The detectives were looking for some clues at the scene of the crime.
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Insight or understanding ("to have a clue [about]" or "to have clue". See have a clue, clue stick)
I had little clue that I was being carefully monitored by the CCTV.
- (qualifier:crosswording) The text that indicates an answer in a crossword puzzle.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| clew | alternative, archaic | lexicographic | |
| clues | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
clue card (Compound words and expressions) · Cluedo · cluebat · clueless · not have a clue (Compound words and expressions) · cluebie · cluestick (Compound words and expressions) · what was your first clue (Compound words and expressions) · no clue · rebel without a clue (Compound words and expressions) · get a clue (Compound words and expressions) · context clue (Compound words and expressions) · cluelike · clue-by-four (Compound words and expressions) · unclue · have a clue (Compound words and expressions) · clueful · microclue · clue stick (Compound words and expressions) · cluey
Relateds
Synonyms
hint (information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · signature · idea (understanding) · suggestion (information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · indication (information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion)
Translations (97)
fr idée (insight or understanding) · ro indiciu (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · hu fogalma (insight or understanding) · da spor (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · cmn 線索 /线索 (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · hu nyomra vezető jel (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · hu megoldás (something which points the way, a guide) · sh indicija (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · it prova (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · grc ἔνδειξις (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · pt sugestão (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · da ledetråd (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · hu fogódzó (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · sv ledtråd (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · hu kulcs (something which points the way, a guide) · pl podpowiedź (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · de Indiz (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · fi johtolanka (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · fi näyttö (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · pt pista (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · vi manh mối (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · ru след (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · cmn 證據 /证据 (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · eo indico (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · fr indice (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · it indizio (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · hi संकेत (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · sv ledtråd (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · pt pista (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · pt indício (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · hu támpont (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · th ร่องรอย (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · fi vihje (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · ja 手掛かり (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · pt indício (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · la indicium (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · he מושג (insight or understanding) · ro indiciu (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · nb ledetråd (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · da holdepunkt (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · ru ключ (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · cy clem (insight or understanding) · cs klíč (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · eo indico (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · hu nyitja (something which points the way, a guide) · tr ipucu (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · ja 切っ掛け (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · fr indice (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · nl spoor (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · mi tīwhiri (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · hu gőze (insight or understanding) · da fingerpeg (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · id petunjuk (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · de Faden (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · da nøgle (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · de Hinweis (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · hu meghatározás (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · ko 실마리 (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · es pista (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · es indicio (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · fi johtolanka (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · de Anhaltspunkt (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · hu útmutatás (something which points the way, a guide) · ro habar (insight or understanding) · bg указа́ние (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · he מֻשָּׂג (insight or understanding) · he רמז (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · ru указа́тель (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · de Hinweis (something which points the way, a guide) · th เบาะแส (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · fi todiste (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · el ένδειξη (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · ja 手掛かり (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · nb ledetråd (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · bho संकेत (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · ru ули́ка (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · ja きっかけ (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · id petunjuk (something which points the way, a guide) · cs nápověda (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · nl aanwijzing (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · it pista (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · bg ули́ка (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · nb innsikt (insight or understanding) · nb ariadnetråd (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · ru нить (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · da spor (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · cs vodítko (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · es indicio (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · nb forståelse (insight or understanding) · th เบาะแส (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion) · hu nyom (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · fr piste (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · ro idee (insight or understanding) · ko 실마리 (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · sh indicija (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · hu bűnjel (object or marking that may be used in evidence) · gd gliocas (information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion)