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\ \ [13] Close originally entered English as a verb. It came from clos-, the past participial stem of Old French cloreshut’, which was a descendant of Latin claudere (related to Latin clāviskey’, from which English gets clavier, clavichord, clavicle, clef, and conclave, and to Latin clāvusnail’, from which French gets clounail’ – whence English clove – and English gets cloy). The adjective was quick to follow, via Old French clos, but in this case the intermediate source was the Latin past participial stem clausrather than the Old French clos-. It originally meant simply ‘shut, enclosed, confined’, and did not evolve the sense ‘near’ until the late 15th century; it arose from the notion of the gap between two things being brought together by being closed off. Related forms in English include clause, cloister, closet [14] (from Old French, ‘small private room’, a diminutive form of clos) and the various verbs ending in -clude, including conclude, include, and preclude.
\ \ Cf.CLAUSE, CLAVIER, CLEF, CLOISTER, CLOSET, CLOVE, CLOY, CONCLAVE, CONCLUDE, ENCLAVE, INCLUDE, PRECLUDE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • close — vb 1 Close, shut are very close synonyms in the sense of to stop or fill in an opening by means of a closure (as a door, a gate, a lid, or a cover) and are often used interchangeably. However, they may have distinctive nuances of meaning and… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Close — (kl[=o]s), a. [Compar. {Closer} (kl[=o] s[ e]r); superl. {Closest}.] [Of. & F. clos, p. p. of clore. See {Close}, v. t.] 1. Shut fast; closed; tight; as, a close box. [1913 Webster] From a close bower this dainty music flowed. Dryden. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • close — close1 [klōs] adj. closer, closest [ME clos < OFr < L clausus, pp. of claudere (see CLOSE2); senses under II from notion “with spaces or intervals closed up”] I denoting the fact or state of being closed or confined 1. shut; not open 2.… …   English World dictionary

  • close — 1 vb closed, clos·ing vt 1: to bring to an end or to a state of completion closed the case close an estate by liquidating its assets closing his account 2: to con …   Law dictionary

  • close — Ⅰ. close [1] ► ADJECTIVE 1) only a short distance away or apart in space or time. 2) (of a connection or resemblance) strong. 3) denoting someone who is part of a person s immediate family. 4) (of a relationship or the people conducting it) very… …   English terms dictionary

  • Close — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Alex Close, belgischer Radrennfahrer Brian Close, englischer Cricketspieler Charles Close, britischer Geograph Chuck Close (* 1940), US amerikanischer Maler Del Close, US amerikanischer Schauspieler und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Close To Me — Single par The Cure extrait de l’album The Head on the Door Face A Close to Me Face B A Man Inside My Mouth Sortie 17 septembre 1985 Enregistrem …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Close to Me — Single par The Cure extrait de l’album The Head on the Door Face A Close to Me Face B A Man Inside My Mouth Sortie 17 septembre 1985 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Close — may refer to: Close (surname) In music: Close , a song by Rascal Flatts from Unstoppable Close , a song by Soul Asylum from Candy from a Stranger Close , a song by Westlife from Coast to Coast Close (to the Edit) , a song by Art of Noise Other:… …   Wikipedia

  • close — [adj1] near, nearby abutting, across the street, adjacent, adjoining, approaching, around the corner, at hand, contiguous, convenient, give or take a little*, handy, hard by, immediate, imminent, impending, in spitting distance*, in the ball… …   New thesaurus

  • Close Up — Бокс сет Элвиса Пресли Дата выпуска …   Википедия

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