clincher C2+ Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives US /ˈklɪntʃɚ/ UK /ˈklɪntʃə/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a fact or argument that settles a matter decisively The signed receipt was the clincher in the dispute. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a fact or argument that... decidercappersettlerproofcrusher Word family Related forms clinchclinching Etymology AI details An agent noun from the verb clinch (a variant of clench, from Old English -clenċan 'to hold fast') + the suffix -er. clenċan Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Word Formation & Derivatives General Vocabulary External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # clincher **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈklɪntʃɚ/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈklɪntʃə/ ## Meanings 1. a fact or argument that settles a matter decisively ## Examples - The signed receipt was the clincher in the dispute. ## Synonyms - decider - capper - settler - proof - crusher ## Related Forms - clinch - clinching ## Roots and Affixes - Root: clenċan ## Etymology An agent noun from the verb clinch (a variant of clench, from Old English -clenċan 'to hold fast') + the suffix -er. ## AI Etymology Clincher is an agent noun from the verb clinch (a variant of clench, from Old English -clenċan 'to hold fast') + the suffix -er. The historical trail runs through clenċan in Old English. Morphologically, clincher is transparent: an agent noun from the verb clinch (a variant of clench, from Old English -clenċan 'to hold fast') + the suffix -er. Used as a noun, clincher now means "a fact or argument that settles a matter decisively", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as clinch and clinching. The modern word remains analyzable through its parts, which makes the semantic connection unusually direct. ## Topics - Word Formation & Derivatives - General Vocabulary markdown