Meaning

noun a small slip noose made with seizing

noun the act of grasping

verb hold in a tight grasp

originFrom Middle English clenchen, from Old English clenċan (“to clinch; hold fast”), a variant of Old English clenġan (“to adhere; remain”), from Proto-Germanic *klangijaną, causative of *klinganą (“to stick; adhere”). Related to cling.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0