*SET-U

CANONICAL LANGUAGE GRAPH

TRACE A WORD ↗
NODE / 0027attestedOld English

cliewen

ball, sphere, ball of thread

DATE
before 1150
SENSE
default
FAMILY
Indo-European / West Germanic
CANONICAL KEY
node:3:cliewen:attested
01

ANCESTRAL EDGES

ROOT OF THIS ROOT

2
*
THE TRAIL ENDS HERE.

No securely reviewed ancestor extends beyond this node. 2 evidence paths stop at this boundary.

INSPECT 2 CITED BOUNDARY CLAIMS
GO DEEPERknowledge boundaryboundary
Beyond secure reconstruction · before the reviewed Old English form · clew deep boundary

UNKNOWN

No direct deeper ancestor is promoted as secure.

SOUND
The reviewed sources compare related forms but do not promote one direct ancestor beyond Old English cliewen.
MEANING
The thread-ball history reaches the current evidence horizon.
SCHOLAR
SET-U editorial boundary
CONFIDENCE
boundary — Akin forms are preserved as relatives, not converted into a linear parent.
Clew — Definition, Word History, and First Known UsesupportsWord History: akin forms after Old English cliewen

The source offers comparisons rather than one promoted direct parent, defining the editorial boundary.

ORIGINAL ↗
OPEN CANONICAL EDGE 366 ↗
02

DIRECT DESCENDANT EDGES

THE NEXT HISTORICAL STEP

1
DESCENDANTinheritanceestablished
Middle English · c. 1300–1600s

clew

a ball of thread or yarn

SOUND
Old English vowel sequence and inflection simplified in Middle English.
MEANING
A concrete ball or wound thread was retained.
SCHOLAR
Bosworth–Toller · historical lexicography
CONFIDENCE
established
Bosworth–Toller: cliewensupportscliewenORIGINAL ↗
Clew — Definition, Word History, and First Known UsesupportsWord History: Middle English clewe, from Old English cliewen

Supplies the direct historical sequence.

ORIGINAL ↗
OPEN CANONICAL EDGE 22 ↗
03

TRANSITIVE DESCENDANT CLOSURE

EVERY REVIEWED BRANCH FROM HERE

3

This is the complete downstream closure currently supported by the canonical graph. Every displayed step is a real reviewed edge with its own sound claim, meaning claim, scholar, confidence, and citations.

UNIQUE DESCENDANT NODES
3
REVIEWED EDGES
3
DEEPEST PATH
2
MODERN DOSSIERS REACHED
2
clew2 connected nodesclue2 connected nodes
HISTORICAL STEP 011 EDGE
HISTORICAL STEP 022 EDGES
STEP 02inheritanceestablished
Middle Englishclew→Present-Day English · before the 12th century–todayclewa ball of thread; a guiding clue; a nautical corner, loop, or line
SOUND
Middle English clew / clewe survives as Modern English clew with loss of inflection and stabilized spelling.
MEANING
The literal thread-ball sense survives; nautical senses develop from the corner or fastening of a sail and the guiding spelling clue diverges later.
Merriam-Webster · American Heritage editors2 CITATIONSEDGE 364 ↗
Clew — Definition, Word History, and First Known Use · Definitions; Did You Know?; Word History: Etymology ↗American Heritage Dictionary: clew · Headword clew; etymology ↗

“Every” means every descendant in the reviewed SET-U graph. It does not convert missing scholarship or missing ingestion into a claim of historical completeness. The coverage ledger remains the honest denominator.

04

RECORDED EVIDENCE

ATTESTATIONS / FIRST KNOWN USE

1
SOURCE-REPORTEDlexical corpus recordestablished

Old English lexical record

The date and form are source-reported. No manuscript or inscription facsimile has been directly inspected for this record.

clue dossier · recorded as cliewen
WITNESS RECORD ↗Bosworth–Toller: cliewen ↗
05

EDITORIAL REUSE

WORD DOSSIERS USING THIS NODE

2
03clewcliewen · established03cluecliewen · established