clause
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
< Middle English < Mediaeval Latin clausa (“‘a clause’”) (Latin diminutive clausula (“‘a clause, close of a period’”)) < Latin clausus, pp. of claudere (“‘to shut, close’”); see close.
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: /klɔːz/
- Audio (US)help, file
- Rhymes: -ɔːz
[edit] Homophones
[edit] Noun
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Singular |
Plural |
clause (plural clauses)
- (informal, grammar) A group of two or more words which include a subject and any necessary predicate (the predicate also includes a verb, conjunction, or a preposition) to begin the clause; however, this clause is not considered a sentence for colloquial purposes.
- (grammar) A word or group of words ordinarily consisting of a subject and a predicate; in some languages and types of clauses, the subject may not appear explicitly; one clause may be coordinated with or embedded in another within a single sentence.
- (law) A separate part of a contract, a will or another legal document.
[edit] Usage notes
An examples of a grammatical dependent clause is When it got dark, they went back into the house. “When it got dark” is the clause within the complete sentence. The conjunction when begins the main clause (when it got dark, …); however, the pronoun it lacks a declared subject causing the reader to expect a subordinate clause to complete the idea.
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Translations
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
[edit] Verb
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Infinitive |
Third person singular |
Simple past |
Past participle |
Present participle |
to clause (third-person singular simple present clauses, present participle clausing, simple past and past participle claused)
- (transitive) To amend (a bill of lading or similar document).
[edit] External links
- clause in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- clause in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
