clack

Noun

1. An abrupt, sharp sound, especially one made by two hard objects colliding repetitively; a sound midway between a click and a clunk.
2. Anything that causes a clacking noise, such as the clapper of a mill, or a clack valve.
3. Chatter; prattle.
4. (colloquial) The tongue.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To make a sudden, sharp noise, or succession of noises; to click.
2. (transitive) To cause to make a sudden, sharp noise, or succession of noises; to click.
3. To chatter or babble; to utter rapidly without consideration.
4. (UK) To cut the sheep's mark off (wool), to make the wool weigh less and thus yield less duty.
5. (alt-of, dated) Dated form of cluck.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/klæk/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: clacken

Inherited from Old English: *clacian

Cognate with Scots: clake

Cognate with Dutch: klakken

Cognate with Low German: klakken

Cognate with Norwegian: -

Cognate with Icelandic: klaka

In summary

From Middle English clacken, clakken, claken, from Old English *clacian (“to slap, clap, clack”), from Proto-Germanic *klakōną (“to clap, chirp”). Cognate with Scots clake, claik (“to utter cries", also "to bedaub, sully with a sticky substance”), Dutch klakken (“to clack, crack”), Low German klakken (“to slap on, daub”), Norwegian klakke (“to clack, strike, knock”), Icelandic klaka (“to twitter, chatter, wrangle, dispute”).

Synonyms

chatter

clap

👏

prattle

blabber

prate

click

twaddle

blab

maunder

tittle-tattle

palaver

gabble

piffle

gibber

clatter

cluck

clank

bang

rattle

clapper valve

tattle

snap

crash

clang

clack valve

cackle

din

brattle

smack

knock

crack

pitapat

pop

rap

rattling

report

shroud

slat

smash

smite

squawk

strike

swat

talk small talk

thrash

tick

tongue

👅

valve

water wheel

yak