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cluck

noun

  1. the characteristic sound made by a hen especially in calling her chicks
  2. a sound similar to the characteristic sound made by a hen when brooding or calling its chicks
  3. a stupid, foolish, or naive person
L22141 on Wikidata ↗

verb

  1. to make a cluck
  2. to make a clicking sound with the tongue
  3. to express interest or concern
  4. to call with a cluck
L22142 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /klʌk/ / /klʊk/ / /klɐk/

name

Etymology: * As a German surname, Americanized from Kluck. * As a Polish and Czech surname, Americanized from Kluk.

  1. A surname.

noun

Etymology: From Middle English clokken, clocken, from Old English cloccian (“to cluck, make a noise”), from Proto-West Germanic *klukkwōn, from Proto-Germanic *klukkwōną (“to make a sound, cluck”), of imitative origin. Cognate with Scots clok, clock (“to cluck”), Dutch klokken (“to cluck”), Low German klucken (“to cluck”), German glucken (“to cluck”), Danish klukke (“to cluck”), Swedish klucka (“to cluck”), Icelandic klökkva (“to sob, whine, cluck”).

  1. The sound made by a hen, especially when brooding, or calling her chicks.
  2. Any sound similar to this.
  3. A kind of tongue click used to urge on a horse.
  4. A setting hen.

verb

Etymology: From Middle English clokken, clocken, from Old English cloccian (“to cluck, make a noise”), from Proto-West Germanic *klukkwōn, from Proto-Germanic *klukkwōną (“to make a sound, cluck”), of imitative origin. Cognate with Scots clok, clock (“to cluck”), Dutch klokken (“to cluck”), Low German klucken (“to cluck”), German glucken (“to cluck”), Danish klukke (“to cluck”), Swedish klucka (“to cluck”), Icelandic klökkva (“to sob, whine, cluck”).

  1. To make low clicking sounds (refers to hens).

    "I came across him once," he continued, "when he was playing down on the main road to Skaug; there he sat in the middle of the road with a lot of hens around him, I counted seven, and there were more round about in the wood, for I heard them clucking and calling behind every bush."

  2. To cause (the tongue) to make a clicking sound.

    My mother clucked her tongue in disapproval.

  3. To call together, or call to follow, as a hen does her chickens.

    When she, poor hen, fond of no second brood, Has clucked thee to the wars and safely home.

  4. To suffer withdrawal from heroin.