clerk 
for the elcctiun of jil.cn in i ireat I'.rilnin. i-ti'. Clerk 
Of the essolns, 11 Im UHT clerk in the Kni;lish Court of 
Common I'leas havinu dial-Re of tile essoins, ur excuses of 
defendants iinl appcai'in;; pursuant to writ, ami of Hi. I 
aoin Hulls, or alphabetic indexes of judgments. 'I In- ultiee 
was abolished iy i \ lot. o. :>. Clerk of the estreats. 
See Htnat. Clerk of the Hanaper, formerly, a c-irrk 
u tbe KliKlish Chancery ami in tin- i:\rli.-qin i FeMM4jtiV01j 
! itb collecting some of the revenues of the erou n, 
such as fees for patents, commissions, ft*'., anil in Chan 
eery with payment of various salaries of officers of that 
court. Clerk of the House of Commons, an officer 
appointed by the clown In make entries. reMiemliranccs, 
anl journals of the things done and passed in the House 
of Commons. Clerk of the House of Representa- 
tives, an otllrer bosc illllics are similar to those of the 
elerk of the House of < 'oninmli-.. i lcetc.1 l>\ the HOUHC 
of Representatives immediately after tile choice of a 
Speaker. At the l,i-iinim- of each C'tnt-'iess the House 
is called to order bv the clerk nf tlic last Mouse, who 
has previously mude a Mat of representatives regularly 
elected, and who presides until a Speaker is chosen. 
State legislatures elect similar officers. Clerk Of the 
irons, a former olllcer of the lamlish mint who was 
charged with procuring and safely keeping tin dies uscil 
in making coins, and medals struck liy authority. He hud 
supervision of the die. press KM. in, was required to lie ;.i . 
ent when the -reat die-press was useil, and was held re- 
sponsible that no pieces shot i]i I be struck u it limit author- 
ill Clerk of the king's sliver, formerly, a clerk in 
the English Court of Exchequer charged with the recording 
of tines and their payment. - Clerk of the market, of 
the market and shambles, or of the shambles mar- 
ket, a clerk in each of several Kni:li>li municipal eorimia 
tions, in the Tiiiversity of Oxford, and in several boroughs, 
mostly Welsh, charged with the inspection of markets, 
weights, measures, etc. Clerk of the nlchels or nlhlls, 
formerly, in England, a elerk charged with recording debts 
of record which bad been returned by the sheriff as nihil, 
or nothing worth. Clerk of the outlawries, formerly, 
a clerk in the King's (or Queen's) Kememhrancer De- 
partment of the English Court of Exchequer, charged 
with recording outlawries ami seizures thereon. Clerk 
Of the Parliaments, in England, the chief officer of the 
House of Lords. - Clerk of the peace, in England, an 
officer helotiging to the sessions of the peace, whose busi- 
ness it is to read indictments and record the proceedings, 
and to perform special duties iu connection with county 
affairs. Clerk of the Pell, a former clerk in the English 
Exchequer, charged with the enrolment of letters patent, 
etc. Clerk of the petty bag, a clerk in the English 
Chancery, charged with various duties, among which was 
enrolling the admission of solicitors and other officers of 
court. Formerly there were three such clerks. Clerk Of 
the Pipe, a former officer of the English Exchequer who 
had charge of those accounts which were entered upon 
the tireat Roll or Pipe Roll, and who also Issued summons 
tin the collection of debts due to the king. Clerk of the 
privy seal, formerly, in England, before the office was 
abolished in 14 and 15 Viet., a clerk (there were four in 
all) in attendance on the Lord Privy Seal, whose duties 
were the preparing of documents for authentication by 
the privy seal. Clerk of the Session, the title given to 
the clerks of the Scottish Court of Session. Clerk of the 
signet. See rignet. Clerk of the warrants, formerly, 
a clerk having charge of enrolments and estreats in the 
English Common Pleas. Clerk Of the weather, (a) A 
humorous personification of the influences controlling the 
weather : as, it depends on what the elerk of the weather 
may send us. (&) In the United States, a popular name for 
the head of the meteorological department of the Signal 
Service. County clerk, in American law, the clerk of 
a county; an administrative officer (commonly elective) 
charged with making and keeping various public records, 
and often ex officio clerk of court in the county. Holy- 
water clerk. Sec holy. 8t Nicholas' clerkt, a thief ; 
a highwayman. 
Sirrah, if they meet not with Saint Nicholat' clerks, I'll 
give thee this neck. Shak., 1 Hen. IV., it 1. 
Town Clerk, the recording officer of a town. In the Unit- 
ed states he is usually elected by the people of the town 
with other local officials, and his duties include keeping 
minutes of town meetings, giving notice of such meetings 
and elections, and keeping the files or records of various 
classes of instruments, such as chattel mortgages. In 
England the town clerk is an officer in each municipal cor- 
poration and borough ; he keeps the corporate records, 
and Is clerk of the courts held Iwfore the mayor, etc., and 
of the works required to be executed under the powers of 
the corporation, and takes charge of the voting-papers in 
the election of councilors. In Scotland he is also the ad- 
viser of the magistrates and council of his town. 
Clerk (klerk), v. [< clerk, n.] I.f trans. To 
write ; compose. 
Twa lines o' Davie Lindsay wad ding a' he ever clerkit. 
Scott, Rob Roy, xxi. 
II. inlraim. To serve as a clerk; act as ac- 
countant or salesman : frequently used in the 
phrase to clerk it. [Colloq., U. S.] 
I was struck with the original mode in which the young 
gentleman who was clerkimj it managed his spelling. 
.1 Strati Yankee in Texas, p. 197. 
clerk-alet, clerk's-alet (klerk'-, klerks'al), . 
In England, a feast for the benefit of a parish 
clerk. 
An order was made ... for suppressing all revels. 
Church-ales, Clerk-alet, which had been used upon that 
day. Htylin, Life of Laud, iv. 258. 
clerking (kler'king), n. [Verbal n. of clerk, r.] 
The calling or work of a clerk. 
Teaching, elrrkinti, law, etc., are so very precarious, ex- 
cept to men of established reputation and business, that 
it is next to madness for a youth to eome here relying 
upon them. Xew York Tribune, April 19, 1849. 
Do not put your sons to cle-rkinq ; apprentice them to 
handicrafts. nineteenth Century, XX. 540. 
1043 
clerkless (klerk'les). a. [< clerk + -few.] 1. 
Ignorant ; unlearned. [Rare.] 
JanisaricK and bashaws . . . in their clerklen* and cruel 
way. \\~KI- rhtuiii-, Ajxdogy, p. 40. 
2. Without a clerk. 
clerklinessfklerk'H-nes), . [<</<//,/ + -*.] 
Clerkly skill; srlmliirliness. [Rare.] 
In this sermon of Jonah in no u-ieat euriousnesB, no great 
ctrrklini'HX, no great atlcctation nt \\otil-. n<>l [,an.' 
iplcnee. l.ntnn. -\ Scniliill Ii4'f. I'.dw. \'I., 1650. 
clever 
of the family I'li-riiln: 'I In- basal tarsal Joint ls 
!> visible, the lal.ial palps end in a l:n hapeit 
ji'int , and the tei niinal antennal j i lint i- .n nli 1\ pi." 
tbi !.uv;c are n-i|. There are alxmt '^OhjM-riesof thisini 
Jim tilllt UfllllS in the I II i ted State,,. I III 1. 1 1 
the nests of mason )... s. 
cletch (klecb), r. and n. A dialectal variant of. 
clerkly (klerk Mi), <t. 
Clerk-like; scholarly. 
[< 
+ - 
1. 
Thou art clerkly, thou art clerkly, Sir John. 
.s'A.ii.. M \\. ,,f W., iv. 6. 
2. Pertaining to a clerk \- seeret.-iry, with espe- 
cial reference to penmanship. 
At first in heart it liked me ill 
When the king praised hi rli-rklii skill. 
Tbanks t St. I'.ntllan! son of mine, 
save ijawain, ne'er could pen a line. 
Scott, Manniiin, vl. 15. 
Clerkly (klerk'li), adv. [< ME. clerkelij ; < <!, ,1 
+ -///*] In the manner of a clerk or scholar; 
skilfully. 
The great Princes, and Popes, and Sultans would one 
salute and greet an other sometime in frendship and 
sport, . . . & nothing seemed clerkty done, but must be 
done in ryme. t'uttriihain, Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 8. 
Hath he not twit our sovereign lady lien, 
With ignominious words, though clerkly couch'd? 
Shak., - ilen. VI., ill. 1. 
They [the poets] did clerkhi, in figures, et before us sun- 
dry tales. Gancoiyne, Delicate Diet for Iiroonkardes. 
clerk's-alet, . See clerk-ale. 
clerkship (klerk'ship), n. [< ME. clerc-, cltrrc- 
scipe; < clerk + -ship.) If. The state of being 
in noly orders. 2. Scholarship; erudition. 
He was not averse to display his clerkship and scholas- 
tic Information. Bulrnr, Pelham, ixvii. 
3. The office or business of a clerk or account- 
ant. 
Clerodendron (kle-ro-den'dron), n. [NL., < Or. 
K^ijpof, lot, + StvSpov, tree.] A verbenaceous 
genus of trees and shrubs, of about 70 species, 
of warm regions, chiefly of the old world. The 
flowers are often showy, and several species 
have been cultivated in hothouses. 
cleromancy (kle'ro-man-si), n. [= F. clero- 
maticie = Sp. cleromancia, < Gr. i&fipoc,, lot, + 
fiavTfia, divination.] Divination by throwing 
dice or lots, and interpreting according to cer- 
tain rules the points or marks turned up. 
cleronomy (kle-ron'o-mi), n. [= F. clerono- 
mie, < Gr. Ks-qpovo/tia, an inheritance, < xA^povo- 
/jof, an heir, < tfiipoc., lot, -f- vtfieaOai, have as 
one's share, mid. of viuciv, distribute : see 
nomc.] That which is given to any one as his 
lot ; inheritance ; heritage or patrimony. 
clerstoryt, n. An obsolete form of clearstory. 
clertet, A Middle English form of clarity. 
cleruci (kle'rok), n. [< Gr. ntyptAxof, one who 
holds an allotment of land, < id.ypor,, a lot, + 
exetv, have, hold.] In ancient Athens, a citizen 
to whom land was allotted in conquered terri- 
tory under the system of colonization called 
cleruehi/. 
cleruchial (kle-ro'ki-al), a. [< cleruch + -i/.] 
Of or pertaining to a cleruchy, or to the Athe- 
nian cleruchs. 
cleruchy (kle'ro-ki), n.-; pi. cleruchies (-kiz). [< 
Gr. &Tif>ovxia., the allotment of land in a foreign 
country among the citizens (see def. !),< n/Jipov- 
,t<>f, one who holds an allotment of land: see 
cltruch.'] 1. A system of colonization of con- 
quered territory practised by the ancient Athe- 
nians from 506 B. C. The land was distributed 
equally among the ten Athenian tribes, and parcels were 
assigned by lot to a certain number of poor citizens from 
each tribe. The cleruchs retained their Athenian citizen- 
ship, and transmitted it to their children under the con- 
dition of presenting themselves at Athens at the age of 
eighteen and having their names entered on the register 
of their proper deme. The cleruchs were exempted from 
certain charges to the Athenian state, but remained sub- 
ject to military service. The natives of the conquered 
territory often retained some portion of the land, and be- 
came Athenian metics. 
2. A colony constituted under this system. 
clerum (kle'rum), n. [Short for L. (ML. NL.) 
sermo ad clenim, a sermon addressed to the 
clergy : L. sermo(n-), a speech, LL. a sermon ; 
ad, to; clerum, ace. of LL. citrus, the clergy, 
elericus, a clergyman: see sermon, ad-, and 
clergy.'] A sermon preached at certain times 
and places, in the University of Cambridge, 
England ; especially, one delivered on January 
12th by the Lady Margaret's Professor of Di- 
vinity or some one appointed by him. 
Clerus (kle ' rus), n. [NL. (Geoffroy, 1764), < 
Gr. K>'/pof, a lot.] The typical genus of beetles 
cletet, . An obsolete form of <-/i/i, 
Clethra (kleth'rii), . [NL., < Cr. ,>/,/, al- 
der (which these plants resemble in foliage).] 
A genus of plants, natural order />;<<</ 
lives of North and South America and Madeira. 
They are shrubs or trees, witb alternate senate leaves and 
many white flowers in terminal racemes. The corolla con- 
ilsU of five free petals. The white alder or Ktvcet i 
bush, C. alnifulia, a speclei of the Atlantic States, a liaml 
aonie shrub with very fragrant flowcru, is sometimes cul- 
tivateil. 
cleugh, clench (kluch), n. [8c., = ttoMoM, q. v.] 
A cleft or gorge in a hill ; a ravine ; also, a cliff 
or the side of a ravine. 
since old Buccleuch the name did gain 
u Inn in the cl'tich the buck was ta'en. 
Scott, L. of L. M., vl. 8. 
At length they lost sight of Martin ami the cows ; ami 
they be^aii to run up a little clench which we call Com- 
nan-shian, where there is a wee bit stripe of a bunt. 
Scott, Monastery, L 3. 
cleve't, ' An obsolete spelling of cleave 1 . 
cleve-t, An obsolete spelling of clnin '-'. 
Cleve 3 t, [ME., < A8. cledfa, cMfa, cledfa, 
i-lyj'n, clifa, a cell, chamber, lair, den, appar. < 
clcofan, E. cleave, separate, divide : see ware 2 .] 
A chamber. 
He caste him on his bac 
Ant bar him horn to like cleue. 
Hamlet, 1. 556. 
Wickednes thoght he, night and dai 
In his kleve thar he lal. 
Ps. xxxv. 5 (ME. version). 
cleve 4 (klev), n. [E. dial., < ME. clew, also clefe, 
rare sing, from pi. cleveg of cliff: see cliff 1 .'] An 
obsolete or dialectal form of cliff 1 . 
Light and shadow, step by step, wandered over the 
furzy cleves. R. D. Blackniore, Lorna Doone, xlx. 
cleve't, [ME., also dive (spelled clyve) ; prob. 
associated with cleve* only in the work quoted, 
translating L. clh-us, a declivity, sloi>e, hill : 
see clivus, clivotts.'] A hill ; a hillside. 
Make hem lough [low) in clew* that declyne, 
In plaine or ronke lande bier [higher] may thai be, 
But boudes harde in vyne Is not to se. 
Palladitu, Husbondrie (E. E. T. 8.), p. 72. 
Thai bere anoon in places temperate, 
And forth thai come in eleven and in planys. 
Pattodftw, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 94. 
cleveite (kle'vit), n. [< Cleve, the name of a 
Swedish chemist, -I- -ite 2 .] A mineral closely 
allied to uraniuite, but containing some yttri- 
um, erbium, and other rare substances, found 
in Norway. 
clever 1 (klev'er), a. [Not found earlier than 
the 17th century, and appar. of provincial ori- 
gin, being found in dial, use; cf. Dan. dial. 
Mover, Merer, with same senses (Wedgwood) as 
E. clcccrl, in most of the senses given below. 
The word can hardly be, as commonly sup- 
posed, a corruption of ME. delirer, which partly 
coincides in sense (see deliver, o.).] 1. Possess- 
ing skill or address ; having special ability of 
any kind, especially such as involves quickness 
of intellect or mechanical dexterity; adroit. 
It now commonly implies the possession of ability which, 
though noteworthy, does not amount to genius, nor even 
to a high degree of talent. 
The clecerett men stood in the van. 
Battle of I'entland Hill* (Child's Ballads, VII. 242). 
The Highland men, they're clever men 
At handling sword and shield. 
Bonny John Seton (Child's Ballads, VII. 233). 
Though there were many deter men in England during 
the latter half of the seventeenth century, there were only 
two great creative minds. Macaulat/. 
There is no harm in being stupid, so long as a man does 
not think himself clever; no good in be inn clever, if a man 
thinks himself so, for that is a short way to the worst stu- 
pidity. Oeo. MacDonald, Mary Marston, v. 
2. Indicative of or exhibiting cleverness : as, 
a clever speech ; a clever trick. 
That clever mist of words with which an experienced 
writer hides the fact that he can find nothing to say on a 
certain subject Mrs. Olij'hant, Sheridan, p. 61. 
3. Well shaped; active-looking; handsome. 
[Prov. Eng.] 
The girl was a tight clever wench as any was. A rbuthnot. 
4. Good-natured; obliging; complaisant; pos- 
sessing an agreeable mind or disposition. 
[Colloq., U. S.] 
If we pull together, you will find me a clever fellow ; if 
we don't, you will find me a bloody rascal. 
JJ. a. Dana, Jr., Before the Mast, p. 4. 
