cliché (English)
Where does "cliché" come from?
The English word 'cliché' is an unadapted borrowing from the French noun 'cliché'[1]. This French term originated as the past participle of the verb 'clicher', which meant to stereotype or copy[2]. This verb is likely onomatopoeic, imitating the sound of a mold striking molten metal during the printing process[2][3]. The term traces back to the Old French 'cliquer', meaning to click or resound, and may have been influenced by the Middle High German 'klitsch', which referred to a soft or pulpy mass used in early printing plate techniques[2].
Open questions
- The connection between the French 'clicher' and the Middle High German 'klitsch' remains speculative and is likely based on incidental influence rather than direct derivation. [2]
- The derivation from the Old French 'cliquer' is understood as an onomatopoeic formation, which is inherently difficult to verify as a historical linguistic lineage. [2] [3]
Full etymology tree
- cliché (English), 'Clichéd; having the characteristics of a cliché.'
- borrowed cliché (French), 'stereotype (printing plate)'
- deverbal clicher (French), 'to stereotype (in either sense of the word)'
- inherited clicher (Middle French)
- inherited cliquer (Old French)
- inherited Germanic origin (Germanic)
- inherited cliquer (Old French)
- influence klitsch (Middle High German)
- inherited clicher (Middle French)
- deverbal clicher (French), 'to stereotype (in either sense of the word)'
- borrowed cliché (French), 'stereotype (printing plate)'
Ancestors
- cliché (French)
Sources
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris