Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CLING, v.t.

To dry up, or wither. Till famine cling thee. – Shak. In Saxon, clingan is rendered to fade or wither, marcesco, as well as to cling. In this sense is used forclingan, pp. forclungen. The radical sense then appears to be, to contract or draw together; and drying, withering, is expressed by shrinking. [The latter use of the word is obsolete.]