CLEW

I. noun Etymology: Middle English ~e, from Old English cliewen; akin to Old High German kliuwa ball, Sanskrit glauḥ lump Date: before 12th century a ball of thread, yarn, or cord, clue 1, 3. a lower corner or only the after corner of a sail, a metal loop attached to the lower corner of a sail, a combination of lines by which a hammock is suspended, II. transitive verb Date: 15th century to roll into a ball, clue , to haul (a sail) up or down by ropes through the ~s