Word of the Day - 02/08/26
cloying
/'klɔɪɪŋ/(adj.): overly sweet
The cloying sweetness of the frosting made it hard to eat more than a bite.
(adj.): excessively sentimental
She found his constant compliments cloying rather than charming.
Word Origin
The word 'cloying' is the present participle of 'cloy'. 'Cloy' originated in the late 14th century from Middle English 'acloien', which was a shortening of Anglo-French 'encloyer' (Old French 'enclouer'), meaning 'to nail up, to stop up, to spike (a cannon)'. This in turn comes from Latin 'in-' (in) and 'clavus' (nail). The original sense was literal, referring to stopping something up or clogging it. Over time, it developed the figurative meaning of 'to fill to repletion, sate, or surfeit', and then specifically 'to disgust by excess, especially of sweetness or richness'.
Words with similar origins derive from the Latin root 'clavus' (nail) or 'clavis' (key), which is related to 'clavus'. Examples include: 'Clavicle' (the collarbone, from Latin 'clavicula' meaning 'a small key', diminutive of 'clavis'), 'Clavier' (a keyboard instrument, from French 'clavier', ultimately from Latin 'clavis'), and 'Conclave' (a private meeting, from Latin 'conclave' meaning 'a lockable room', derived from 'com-' (with) + 'clavis' (key)).
As a reminder, here are all of the words from this week:
sciamachy ineffable presage
cloying
See if you can remember all of this week's words! Here is a sentence that includes all seven, followed by a version that simplifies them to help you remember:
He was a nefelibata, his cloying compliments making her wish his love were ineffable, each word tracing the etymology of feeling, hinting at a paracme she dreaded, all tangled in the playful sciamachy of his imagination.He was a dreamer, his overly sweet compliments making her wish his love were too deep for words, each one tracing every feeling, hinting at a peak she feared, all tangled in the playful battles of his imagination.