clang
noun
- loud metallic noise
verb
- to make a clang
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈklæŋ/ / [ˈkʰlæŋ] / /ˈkleɪ̯ŋ/
intj
Etymology: 1570, of imitative origin. Compare also Saterland Frisian Kloang, West Frisian klank, Dutch klank, German Klang (from German klingen), Danish and Swedish klang, Latin clangere (“to resound”) (which probably influenced it).
- Imitative of a loud metallic ringing sound.
- Said after someone has name-dropped (mentioned a famous person with whom they are acquainted).
noun
Etymology: 1570, of imitative origin. Compare also Saterland Frisian Kloang, West Frisian klank, Dutch klank, German Klang (from German klingen), Danish and Swedish klang, Latin clangere (“to resound”) (which probably influenced it).
- A loud, ringing sound, like that made by free-hanging metal objects striking each other.
“Bang, bang, Maxwell's silver hammer Came down upon her head Clang, clang, Maxwell's silver hammer Made sure that she was dead”
- Quality of tone.
- The cry of some birds, including the crane and the goose.
- A word or phrase linked only by sound and not by meaning, characteristic of some mental disorders.
“For much of this day, Mrs Y. wrote in her diary, covering page after page in a rapid scrawl full of paligraphic repetitions, puns, clangs, and violent, perseverative crossings-out […]”
- Alternative form of klang.
verb
Etymology: 1570, of imitative origin. Compare also Saterland Frisian Kloang, West Frisian klank, Dutch klank, German Klang (from German klingen), Danish and Swedish klang, Latin clangere (“to resound”) (which probably influenced it).
- To strike (objects) together so as to produce a clang.
“Around, the first Curetes (order solemn / To thy foreknowing mother!) trod tumultuous / Their mystic dance, and clanged their sounding arms; [...]”
“A dented metal punching bag waiting to be clanged; a solitary object in the rhino's cage.”
- To give out a clang; to resound.
“Middlesbrough will wonder whether it might have been different if the volley that Jelle Vossen slashed towards John Ruddy’s net after nine minutes had been a couple inches lower rather than clanging off the crossbar. They should not dwell on that moment too long, however.”
“A cell door clanged metallically and Wentworth was flung inside. He tripped, collapsed upon the concrete floor.”
- To utter a word or phrase linked only by sound and not by meaning, characteristic of some mental disorders.