I. ˈkləb noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English clubbe, from Old Norse klubba; akin to Old High German kolbo club, Old English clympre lump of metal, clamm bond, fetter — more at clam
1.
a.
(1) : a heavy staff especially of wood usually tapering and sometimes having an attached head of stone or metal wielded with the hand as a striking weapon
struck down by a blow from his great club
— see boomerang , mace , pogamoggan
(2) : something (as a threat, an argument, or a concept) used as a weapon of attack or intimidation
his threat of resignation becomes a … club to beat a dissenting majority into line — M.R.Cohen
b. : a stick or bat used to hit a ball with in any of various games (as golf and hockey)
c.
(1) : a playing card, in a pack of playing cards, of the suit having a figure like the trefoil or clover leaf represented by the symbol ♣
(2) : the figure on such a card
(3) clubs plural : the suit of cards having such figure
(4) : an odd trick won or contracted for with clubs trumps
four clubs bid and made
d. : something resembling a club especially in being tapered, short and thick, or knobbed or bunched
a nose with a red club
as
(1) : a club-shaped organ or part ; especially : the enlarged terminal part of the antennae of many insects
(2) : a club-shaped tail or knot in which men's hair is tied at the back, fashionable in the late 18th century
e.
(1) : a light spar to which the foot of a gaff topsail is bent to extend its spread beyond the gaff and to improve its set
(2) : a small spar at the after part of the foot of a staysail or jib to which the sheet is attached
f. : indian club
g. : brake club
2.
[probably from club (II) ]
a. obsolete
(1) : a social meeting or gathering (as at a tavern) at which expenses are shared
(2) : a sharing of a charge or expense (as for a meal or entertainment) by those partaking ; also : one individual's share in such a joint expense
my club came to three shillings
b.
(1) : an association of persons for social and recreational purposes or for the promotion of some common object (as literature, science, political activity) usually jointly supported and meeting periodically, membership in social clubs usually being conferred by ballot and carrying the privilege of use of the club property
(2) obsolete : a periodical meeting of a society
(3) : the building, rooms, or other property owned by a club
the dock at the yacht club
: the meeting place of a club
a livery stable … served also as a club for the male population — Agnes S. Turnbull
c. obsolete : a set or group of persons having common opinions or aims
to bear up under the … condemnation of his own club — John Locke
d. : an association of persons participating in a plan by which they agree to make regular payments (as into a savings account) or regular purchases in order to secure some advantage (as price reduction)
book club
savings club
e. : a commercial establishment serving food and liquor and often featuring music, dancing, or other entertainment : nightclub
singing at a club in Miami — Mary Deasy
f. : an amateur or professional athletic organization devoted to a particular sport ; also : the team representing such an organization
a major league baseball club
a boxing club
II. verb
( clubbed ; clubbed ; clubbing ; clubs )
transitive verb
1.
a. : to beat or strike with or as if with a club
clubbed him with the butt of a riding crop
b. : to gather or combine into a clublike mass or body
club the hair
c. : to hold like a club
clubbed his newspaper
especially : to turn (as a musket or rifle) butt uppermost so as to use as a club
2. : to unite or combine for a common cause or goal
clubbed their small means together — Thomas Carlyle
: contribute to a common stock, supply, or fund
each clubs his penny toward the purchase
3. chiefly Britain : to throw (a body of troops) into confusion
club a battalion
intransitive verb
1. : to come together to form a club or mass
2. : to combine for the promotion of some common object or joint action
club together and work out a plan — Julian Huxley
3. : to pay an equal or proportionate share of a common charge or expense : pay for something by contribution
the owl, the raven, and the bat, clubbed for a feather to his hat — Jonathan Swift
4. : to drift in a current with an anchor down to ensure control — usually used with down
III. adjective
1. : of or relating to a club
2. : consisting of foods in a fixed combination offered on a menu at a set price
club breakfast
club luncheon
IV. noun
1. : a group identified by some common characteristic
the nations in the nuclear club
2. : club sandwich