clique
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Pronunciation
- IPA: /kliːk/ (UK); /klik/, /ˈklɪk/ (US)[1]
Etymology
It is borrowed from French clique,[2][3][4][5] originally “a sharp noise” and “latch”,[5][2][6] from Old French cliquer “to click, clatter”,[2][4][5] of imitative origin.[2][5][6] The French word was at one time treated as equivalent to claque, the hired applauders in a theatre.[4][5]
Earliest recorded meaning
A small and exclusive party or set, a narrow coterie, as a term of reproach (1711).[7][3][4][5]
Semantic evolution
The word has always implied exclusiveness, and at first also an effort to seize power or privilege.[5][7] In the United States it was briefly used of a business ring (1855).[7] The verb is recorded from 1884.[7]
Timeline
- 1711 – a small exclusive set, a coterie.[7][3][4][5]
- 1855 – (US) a business ring.[7]
- 1884 – verb, to act as a clique.[7]
Modern meaning
Noun
- A small, exclusive group of people held together by common interests or status.
Verb
- (informal) To form or associate in a clique.
Word family
- cliquey
- cliquishly
- cliquishness
- cliquish
- cliquism
Related words
- claque
- click
- coterie
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
- ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
- ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
- ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press