clause

B1 Topic:Grammar & Function Words

US /klɔz/ UK /klɔːz/ See IPA manual

Freq #11839

Meanings

1

noun
A group of words containing a subject and a verb, which may be a whole sentence or part of one.

In grammar, a sentence can be made of one or more clauses.
2

noun
A particular section or condition in a legal document such as a contract.

The contract has a clause allowing either side to cancel.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · a particular section or... article

Word family

Forms clauses

Related forms close

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

Etymology

From Middle English clause, claus, borrowed from Old French clause, from Medieval Latin clausa (Latin diminutive clausula (“close, end; a clause, close of a period”)), from Latin clausus, past participle of claudere (“to shut, close”). See close, its doublet.

clause Middle English clausa la-med clausus Latin *(s)kleh₂w- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Grammar & Function Words Language & Linguistics

External links

# clause

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /klɔz/
**IPA (UK):** /klɔːz/
**Frequency rank:** 11839

## Meanings
1. A group of words containing a subject and a verb, which may be a whole sentence or part of one.
2. A particular section or condition in a legal document such as a contract.

## Examples
- In grammar, a sentence can be made of one or more clauses.
- The contract has a clause allowing either side to cancel.

## Related Forms
- close

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: clause
- Root: clausa
- Root: clausus
- Root: *(s)kleh₂w-

## Etymology
From Middle English clause, claus, borrowed from Old French clause, from Medieval Latin clausa (Latin diminutive clausula (“close, end; a clause, close of a period”)), from Latin clausus, past participle of claudere (“to shut, close”). See close, its doublet.

## AI Etymology
clause is a noun and verb. It is from Middle English clause, claus, borrowed from Old French clause, from Medieval Latin clausa (Latin diminutive clausula (“close, end; a clause, close of a period”)), from Latin clausus, past participle of claudere (“to shut, close”). See close, its doublet. Historical forms in the chain include clause (Middle English), clause (Old French), clausa (Medieval Latin), clausus (Latin), and *(s)kleh₂w- (Proto-Indo-European). Current senses include a group of words containing a subject and a verb, which may be a whole sentence or part of one and a particular section or condition in a legal document such as a contract. Related words include close.

## Topics
- Grammar & Function Words
- Language & Linguistics

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