*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of clag

From Middle English claggen, probably of Scandinavian origin. Compare Swedish klägg and Old English clǣġ.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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

Original entry ↗
verb

To hit

verb

To encumber · To stick, like boots in mud

noun

A glue or paste made from starch. · Low cloud, fog or smog. · Unburned carbon (smoke) from a steam or diesel locomotive, or multiple unit. · Bits of rubber which are shed from tires during a race and collect off the racing line, especially on the outside of corners (cf. marbles).

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

From Middle English claggen, probably of Scandinavian origin. Compare Swedish klägg and Old English clǣġ.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "claggen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English claggen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "klägg"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish klägg"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "clǣġ"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English clǣġ"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "claggen",
      "claggen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "klägg",
      "klägg#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "clǣġ",
      "clæg#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To hit"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Geordie",
        "Teesside"
      ],
      "recordId": "03d948b1c0c3fe56cc28eabf2a915a38636dea5e1cea3adc62f142f1317a561e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "09f14516d0011e5c1da5a1add846e2446d535c0fdad53b120b2e800fb9e17244",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 521232
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To encumber",
        "To stick, like boots in mud"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "6544588cebbaa882fb219c23fae8321a60138e28c0a03fe3689d63961325312f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "794b30f37fc6af18ff0816e2c4925ac74fae697e9519cff65df40f6a53515f47",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 521231
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A glue or paste made from starch.",
        "Low cloud, fog or smog.",
        "Unburned carbon (smoke) from a steam or diesel locomotive, or multiple unit.",
        "Bits of rubber which are shed from tires during a race and collect off the racing line, especially on the outside of corners (cf. marbles)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "e19eb7b8d20dc78c78452e6d4c88b740b223f58597fc17436bc15ff60a7dd23a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "227eb389d2e005ddaa315056d52b44d7b1b316a6a1c210e98fc6bf370b9f3fc9",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 521230
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 clag →

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-Y2xhZw