Meaning

noun a metal or leather projection (as from the sole of a shoe); prevents slipping

noun a fastener (usually with two projecting horns) around which a rope can be secured

noun a strip of wood or metal used to strengthen the surface to which it is attached

originFrom Middle English clete, from Old English *clēat (“block, wedge”), from Proto-West Germanic *klaut, from Proto-Germanic *klautaz (“firm lump”), from Proto-Indo-European *gelewd-, from *gley- (“to glue, stick together, form into a ball”). Cognate with Dutch kloot (“ball; testicle”) and German Kloß (“clump”). See also clay and clout.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0