*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of clep

From Middle English clepen, from Old English cleopian, clipian.

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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

Alternative form of clepe.

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

From Middle English clepen, from Old English cleopian, clipian.

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.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "clepen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English clepen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "clipian",
        "4": "cleopian"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English cleopian"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "clepen",
      "clepen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "cleopian",
      "clipian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "clipian",
      "clipian#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of clepe."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ],
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    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To chatter, gossip, tell tales. · To tattle.

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

From Middle English cleppen, from Old English *cleppan, clæppan, from Proto-West Germanic *klappijan. Cognate with Dutch kleppen (“to chatter”).

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": "cleppen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English cleppen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*cleppan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *cleppan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*klappijan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *klappijan"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "kleppen",
        "t": "to chatter"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch kleppen (“to chatter”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "cleppen",
      "cleppen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "*cleppan",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/cleppan"
    ],
    [
      "clæppan",
      "clæppan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*klappijan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/klappijan"
    ],
    [
      "kleppen",
      "kleppen#Dutch"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To chatter, gossip, tell tales.",
        "To tattle."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dialectal"
      ],
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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 clep →

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-Y2xlcA