*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of club

Inherited from Middle English clubbe, from Old Norse klubba, klumba (“cudgel”), from Proto-Germanic *klumpô (“clip, clasp; clump, lump; log, block”). Doublets of English clump, cloud, Latin globus, glomus; and perhaps re

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To hit with a club. · To score a victory over by a large margin. · To join together to form a group. · To combine into a club-shaped mass.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Inherited from Middle English clubbe, from Old Norse klubba, klumba (“cudgel”), from Proto-Germanic *klumpô (“clip, clasp; clump, lump; log, block”). Doublets of English clump, cloud, Latin globus, glomus; and perhaps related to Middle Low German kolve (“bulb”), German Kolben (“butt, bulb, club”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 7 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:clubbe"
      },
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      "expansion": "Middle English clubbe"
    },
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "clubbe"
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      "expansion": "Inherited from Middle English clubbe"
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "klubba"
      },
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    },
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    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "clump"
      },
      "expansion": "English clump"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "globus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin globus"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gml",
        "2": "kolve",
        "3": "",
        "4": "bulb"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German kolve (“bulb”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
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        "3": "",
        "4": "butt, bulb, club"
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      "klumba",
      "klumba#Old_Norse"
    ],
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      "*klumpô",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/klumpô"
    ],
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      "clump",
      "clump#English"
    ],
    [
      "cloud",
      "cloud#English"
    ],
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      "globus",
      "globus#Latin"
    ],
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      "glomus",
      "glomus#Latin"
    ],
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    ],
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      "Kolben",
      "Kolben#German"
    ]
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  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To hit with a club.",
        "To score a victory over by a large margin.",
        "To join together to form a group.",
        "To combine into a club-shaped mass."
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Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A heavy object, often a kind of stick, intended for use as a bludgeoning weapon or a plaything. · An implement to hit the ball in certain ball games, such as golf. · An item used during routines, the apparatus consisting of a set of two clubs. · An association of members joining together for some common purpose, especially sports or recreation.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Inherited from Middle English clubbe, from Old Norse klubba, klumba (“cudgel”), from Proto-Germanic *klumpô (“clip, clasp; clump, lump; log, block”). Doublets of English clump, cloud, Latin globus, glomus; and perhaps related to Middle Low German kolve (“bulb”), German Kolben (“butt, bulb, club”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 10 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:clubbe"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*klumpô\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old Norse\", \"term\" : \"klubba\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"non\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"clubbe\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"club\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"club\">"
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      },
      "expansion": "Middle English clubbe"
    },
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        "2": "enm",
        "3": "clubbe"
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      "expansion": "Inherited from Middle English clubbe"
    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "klubba"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse klubba"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*klumpô",
        "4": "",
        "5": "clip, clasp; clump, lump; log, block"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *klumpô (“clip, clasp; clump, lump; log, block”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "clump"
      },
      "expansion": "English clump"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "globus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin globus"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gml",
        "2": "kolve",
        "3": "",
        "4": "bulb"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German kolve (“bulb”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Kolben",
        "3": "",
        "4": "butt, bulb, club"
      },
      "expansion": "German Kolben (“butt, bulb, club”)"
    },
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      "clubbe",
      "clubbe#Middle_English"
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    ],
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      "klumba",
      "klumba#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*klumpô",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/klumpô"
    ],
    [
      "clump",
      "clump#English"
    ],
    [
      "cloud",
      "cloud#English"
    ],
    [
      "globus",
      "globus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "glomus",
      "glomus#Latin"
    ],
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      "kolve",
      "kolve#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "Kolben",
      "Kolben#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Afrikaans",
      "lang_code": "af",
      "word": "klub",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "lang_code": "ca",
      "word": "club",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Czech",
      "lang_code": "cs",
      "word": "klub",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "word": "club",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "word": "club",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "word": "Club",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "word": "клуб",
          "roman": "klub",
          "descendants": [
            {
              "lang": "Yakut",
              "lang_code": "sah",
              "word": "кулууп",
              "raw_tags": [
                "borrowed"
              ],
              "roman": "kuluup"
            },
            {
              "lang": "Yiddish",
              "lang_code": "yi",
              "word": "קלוב",
              "raw_tags": [
                "borrowed"
              ],
              "roman": "klub"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "word": "клубъ",
          "roman": "klub",
          "raw_tags": [
            "pre-1918 spelling"
          ],
          "descendants": [
            {
              "lang": "Yakut",
              "lang_code": "sah",
              "word": "кулууп",
              "raw_tags": [
                "borrowed"
              ],
              "roman": "kuluup"
            },
            {
              "lang": "Yiddish",
              "lang_code": "yi",
              "word": "קלוב",
              "raw_tags": [
                "borrowed"
              ],
              "roman": "klub"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "lang_code": "sh",
          "word": "klȗb"
        },
        {
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "lang_code": "sh",
          "word": "клу̑б"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "word": "Klub",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed",
        "used to be common for some decades",
        "but is now becoming less frequent again"
      ],
      "descendants": [
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          "lang_code": "ru",
          "word": "клуб",
          "roman": "klub",
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              "lang_code": "sah",
              "word": "кулууп",
              "raw_tags": [
                "borrowed"
              ],
              "roman": "kuluup"
            },
            {
              "lang": "Yiddish",
              "lang_code": "yi",
              "word": "קלוב",
              "raw_tags": [
                "borrowed"
              ],
              "roman": "klub"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "word": "клубъ",
          "roman": "klub",
          "raw_tags": [
            "pre-1918 spelling"
          ],
          "descendants": [
            {
              "lang": "Yakut",
              "lang_code": "sah",
              "word": "кулууп",
              "raw_tags": [
                "borrowed"
              ],
              "roman": "kuluup"
            },
            {
              "lang": "Yiddish",
              "lang_code": "yi",
              "word": "קלוב",
              "raw_tags": [
                "borrowed"
              ],
              "roman": "klub"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "lang_code": "sh",
          "word": "klȗb"
        },
        {
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "lang_code": "sh",
          "word": "клу̑б"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Greek",
      "lang_code": "el",
      "word": "κλαμπ",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "klamp"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Greek",
      "lang_code": "el",
      "word": "γκλομπ",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "gklomp"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Greek",
      "lang_code": "el",
      "word": "γκλοπ",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed",
        "n"
      ],
      "roman": "gklop"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Greek",
      "lang_code": "el",
      "word": "κλομπ",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed",
        "n"
      ],
      "roman": "klomp"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Indonesian",
      "lang_code": "id",
      "word": "klub",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "倶楽部",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "kurabu"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "クラブ",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Korean",
      "lang_code": "ko",
      "word": "클럽",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "keulleop"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Latvian",
      "lang_code": "lv",
      "word": "klubs",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Lithuanian",
      "lang_code": "lt",
      "word": "klubas",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Malay",
      "lang_code": "ms",
      "word": "kelab",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Māori",
      "lang_code": "mi",
      "word": "karapu",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "word": "club",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Tokelauan",
      "lang_code": "tkl",
      "word": "kalapu",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "lang_code": "cy",
      "word": "clwb",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A heavy object, often a kind of stick, intended for use as a bludgeoning weapon or a plaything.",
        "An implement to hit the ball in certain ball games, such as golf.",
        "An item used during routines, the apparatus consisting of a set of two clubs.",
        "An association of members joining together for some common purpose, especially sports or recreation."
      ],
      "tags": [
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for club →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Y2x1Yg