What does cloot mean?
"Cloot" is a word rooted in the Scots language and the dialects of northern England, with two main senses. Most characteristically it denotes a cloven hoof — the foot of a cow, sheep, or deer — making it a staple of rural and agricultural speech. In its secondary sense, a cloot is a strip or scrap of cloth, such as a rag used for cleaning or binding a wound. The word is best known today through the enduring Scottish proverb "Ne'er cast a cloot till May's oot," which cautions against putting away warm clothes before summer has truly set in — here the cloot stands for an item of clothing. The diminutive form "clootie" lives on in two beloved traditions: the clootie dumpling, a spiced fruit pudding boiled in a floured cloth, and the clootie well, a healing spring where visitors tie strips of fabric to nearby trees. Though rare outside Scotland, the word lends any sentence a distinctive, evocative air of northern tradition.
A cloven hoof, especially of cattle, sheep, or deer.
"The path was churned up by the cloots of the grazing herd."
Chiefly Scottish and northern English.
A strip or piece of cloth; a rag (Scottish dialect).
"He mopped up the spill with a cloot torn from an old shirt."
This sense survives mainly in Scotland, including the compounds "clootie dumpling" and "clootie well."
The plural "cloots" is standard and common in Scots speech.
"The flock left the heather patterned with their small sharp cloots."
In Scotland, people still tie strips of cloth to trees at 'clootie wells' to wish away illness — and no one dares pack away their winter coat before "May's oot" lest they cast a cloot too soon.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cloot
"Cloot" descends from Middle English and Old Norse-influenced northern forms related to the Old English word "clūt," meaning a lump or piece of cloth — the same source that gives us "clout." It developed along distinctly Scottish lines, where it came to mean both a hoof and a rag, while its southern cousin "clout" took on other meanings. The word shares its Germanic root with related terms such as "cleat" and "clot," all tracing back to a common early Germanic base denoting a lump or mass.
Related word forms
How cloot is actually used
"Cloot" belongs chiefly to Scots and northern English speech and carries a rustic, traditional flavour. Its most famous appearance is in the proverb "Ne'er cast a cloot till May's oot," advising against discarding warm clothing before summer arrives. The diminutive "clootie" appears in traditional cookery (a dumpling boiled in a cloth) and folklore (healing wells where rags are tied as offerings).
Easily confused with cloot
A clout is a blow or a patch of cloth in standard English, while a cloot is specifically a hoof (or, in Scots, a rag); they are closely related words but distinct terms.