clou (French)
Where does "clou" come from?
French clou is inherited from Old French clou, which comes from Latin clāvus “nail,” from Proto-Italic *klāwos and ultimately Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂u-. At the oldest stage, the root referred to a hook, peg, or something used for closing, which fits the idea of a nail or fastening tool. In French, the word kept its concrete sense of “nail” and later developed figurative uses such as “the highlight” or “climax.”
Full etymology tree
- clou (French), 'nail (metal pin)'
- inherited from clou (Old French)
- inherited from clāvus (Latin), 'a nail (metal spike)'
- inherited from *klāwos (Proto-Italic), 'capable of closing something'
- inherited from *kleh₂w-o-s (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived from *kleh₂u-/*kleh₂w- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited from *kleh₂w-o-s (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited from *klāwos (Proto-Italic), 'capable of closing something'
- inherited from clāvus (Latin), 'a nail (metal spike)'
- inherited from clou (Old French)
Ancestors
- clavus (Latin)
- *klāwos (Proto-Italic)
- *kleh₂w- (Proto-Indo-European)
Descendants and derived words
- clou (Dutch)
- clou (English)
- clou (Finnish)
- clou de girofle (French)
- clouer (French)
- cloutier (French)
- dans les clous (French)
- enfoncer le clou (French)
- maigre comme un clou (French)
- Clou (German)
- clou (Italian)
- clou (Polish)
Updated March 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris