ˈklȯz noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, clause, from Medieval Latin clausa close (of a rhetorical period), from Latin, feminine of clausus, past participle of claudere to close, shut — more at close
1. : a short sentence : a distinct section of a discourse or writing ; specifically : a distinct article, stipulation, or proviso in a formal document
the attestation clause to a will
2.
a. : a group of words containing a finite verb but not constituting a whole sentence either because it functions as a noun (as in “I dont't know how he got there ”), adjective (as in “the account that he gave was true ”), or adverb (as in “he stopped when he saw the signal ”) in the larger sentence to which it is subordinate or because it contains or is modified by one or more clauses subordinate to it (as in “ I don't know how he got there”) or because it is joined to another clause of equal rank with itself (as the two clauses in “ he stopped the car and they got out ”)
b. : a group of words containing a nonfinite verb and functioning in its sentence somewhat like a subordinate clause (as in “he saw the man leave ” and in “ his tire fixed, the man drove off”) — compare phrase