Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CLEW'-GAR-NETS, n.

In marine language, a sort of tackle, or rope and pulley, fastened to the clews of the main and fore-sails to truss them up to the yard.

CLEW'ING, ppr.

Trussing up.

CLEW'-LINES, n.

These are the same tackle, and used for the like purpose as clew-garnets, but are applied to the smaller square sails, as the top-sail, top-gallant and sprit-sails. – Mar. Dict.

CLICK, n.¹

In seamen's language, a small piece of iron falling into a notched wheel attached to the winches in cutters, &c. – Mar. Dict.

CLICK, n.²

The latch of a door. [Local.]

CLICK, n.³

One who cuts out shoes and boots. [Local.]

CLICK, v.i. [D. klikken; Fr. cliqueter, to crack; cliquet, a mill-clapper. See Clack, to the root of which this word belongs.]

Literally, to strike; hence, To make a small sharp noise, or rather a succession of small sharp sounds, as by a gentle striking. The solemn death-watch clicked. – Gay.

CLICK'ER, n.

The servant of a salesman, who stands at the door to invite customers; a low word, and not used is the United States.

CLICK'ET, n.

The knocker of a door. [Not used in the United States.]

CLICK'ING, ppr.

Making small sharp noises.

CLI'ENT, n. [Fr. client; It. cliente; Sp. id.; L. cliens.]

1. Among the Romans, a citizen who put himself under the protection of a man of distinction and influence who, in respect to that relation, was called his patron. Hence in modern usage,
2. One who applies to a lawyer or counselor for advice and direction in a question of law, or commits his cause to his management in prosecuting a claim, or defending against a suit, in a court of justice. – Bacon. Taylor.
3. A dependent. – B. Jonson.

CLI'ENT-AL, a.

Dependent. [Unusual.] – Burke.

CLI'ENT-ED, a.

Supplied with clients. – Carew.

CLI'ENT-SHIP, n.

The condition of a client; a state of being under the protection of a patron. [Clientele is not used.] – Dryden.

CLIFF, n.

In music. [See Clef.]

CLIFF, or CLIF, n. [Sax. clif, clyf; or cleof; D. klif, or klip; G. and Dan. klippe; Sw. klippa; W. clip; L. clivus; probably from cleaving, Sax. clifian, cleofian.]

1. A steep bank; as, the cliffs of Dover. So in Saxon, the cliffs of the Red Sea. Orosius, supposed by Alfred.
2. A high and steep rock; any precipice. – Bacon. Dryden. This word has been sometimes written clift, and if from cleaving, rending, coincides with cleft in origin.

CLIFF'Y, a.

Having cliffs; broken; craggy. – Harmar.

CLIFT'ED, a.

Broken. – Congreve.

CLI-MAC'TER, n. [Gr. κλιμακτηρ, the step of a ladder, from κλιμαξ, a ladder or scale; L. climacter.]

1. A critical year in human life; but climacteric is more generally used.
2. A certain space of time. [Not used.] – Brown.

CLI-MAC'TER-IC, a. [Gr. κλιμακτηρικος; L. climactericus, from climax, a ladder. See Climax.]

Literally, noting a scale, progression, or gradation; appropriately, denoting a critical period of human life, or a certain number of years, at the end of which a great change is supposed to take place in the human constitution. [See the Noun.]

CLI-MAC'TER-IC, n.

A critical period in human life, or a period in which some great change is supposed to take place in the human constitution. The critical periods are supposed by some persons to be the years produced by multiplying 7 into the odd numbers, 3, 5, 7, and 9; to which others add the 81st year. The 63rd year is called the grand climacteric. It has been supposed that these periods are attended with some remarkable change in respect to health, life or fortune. – Brown. Dryden. Pope.

CLI-MA-TARCH'IC, a. [Gr. κλιμα, climate, and αρχη, dominion.]

Presiding over climates. Paus. Trans., Note.

CLI'MATE, n. [Gr. κλιμα; whence L. clima; It. and Span. clima; Fr. climat. Qu. from Gr. κλινω, to lean or incline, or the root of climax.]

1. In geography, a part of the surface of the earth bounded by two circles parallel to the equator, and of such a breadth that the longest day in the parallel nearest the pole is half an hour longer than that nearest to the equator. The beginning of a climate is a parallel circle in which the longest day is half an hour shorter than that at the end. The climates begin at the equator, where the day is twelve hours long; and at the end of the first climate, the longest day is twelve and a half hours long, and this increase of half an hour constitutes a climate, to the polar circles; from which climates are measured by the increase of a month. – Johnson. Encyc.
2. In a popular sense, a tract of land, region, or country, differing from another in the temperature of the air; or any region or country with respect to the temperature of the air, the seasons, and their peculiar qualities, without any regard to the length of the days, or to geographical position. Thus we say, a warm or cold climate; a moist or dry climate; a happy climate; a genial climate; a mountainous climate.

CLI'MATE, v.i.

To dwell; to reside in a particular region. – Shak. Hist. of St. Domingo. [Little used and hardly legitimate.]

CLI-MAT'IC, or CLI-MAT'IC-AL, a.

Pertaining to a climate or climates; limited by a climate. – S. S. Smith.