See also: Clique and cliqué

EnglishEdit

EtymologyEdit

Borrowed from French clique, ultimately of imitative origin. Influenced by "claque", though this may have happened in French rather than in English.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

clique (plural cliques)

  1. A small, exclusive group of individuals, usually according to lifestyle or social status; a cabal.
    This school used to be really friendly, but now everyone keeps to their own cliques.
    • 1931, Dorothy L. Sayers, The Five Red Herrings
      There had been talk of some disagreement about a picture, but in Sir Maxwell's experience, artists frequently disagreed about pictures, with no more consequences than a little cold-shouldering or the formation of a clique.
  2. (graph theory) A subgraph isomorphic to a complete graph.
    The problem of finding the largest clique in an arbitrary graph is NP-complete.
  3. (Internet) A group of related web sites that link to each other, like a webring but with exclusive membership determined by the clique owner.
    • 1999, "Jackie", someone help me out? (on newsgroup alt.fan.leo-dicaprio)
      Does anyone know what an internet clique is/does? I came across a few and am thoroughly confused.
    • 2000, "- deanna -", ot: hiya (on newsgroup alt.fan.backstreet.boys)
      even though we're not "regulars" anymore...*sniffle*...we still can't forget the NG...i always tell new fans about it...(people who join my clique, etc...)...and besides...i owe the NG a LOT...itz where i met my best friend...
    • 2001, "spee2k", future no doubt website.... (on newsgroup alt.music.no-doubt)
      you always have to click some big section and you get a whole new set of options in a different frame, thats[sic] usually on the other side of the screen. when you're there, you can choose from (in a section site stuff or something like that) link me, link you, links, top 10 links, free for all links, cliques, and webrings.

SynonymsEdit

AntonymsEdit

HypernymsEdit

Derived termsEdit

Related termsEdit

TranslationsEdit

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See alsoEdit

  • claque (another type of ingroup of people with biased interests)

VerbEdit

clique (third-person singular simple present cliques, present participle cliquing, simple past and past participle cliqued)

  1. (intransitive) To associate together in a clannish way; to act with others secretly to gain a desired end; to plot.

Usage notesEdit

  • Often used in the form clique together.

See alsoEdit

DutchEdit

EtymologyEdit

Borrowing from French clique.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

clique f (plural cliques)

  1. Alternative spelling of kliek (clique, coterie).
  2. (graph theory) clique, subgraph

FrenchEdit

EtymologyEdit

Old French cliquer.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

clique f (plural cliques)

  1. clique

Derived termsEdit

DescendantsEdit

VerbEdit

clique

  1. inflection of cliquer:
    1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
    2. second-person singular imperative

Further readingEdit

PortugueseEdit

Etymology 1Edit

Borrowed from French clique.[1][2]

NounEdit

clique m (plural cliques)

  1. clique (small, exclusive group of people)

Etymology 2Edit

Borrowed from English click.[1][2]

NounEdit

clique m (plural cliques)

  1. click (sharp sound)
  2. (phonetics) (click)
  3. click (the act of pressing a button)
  4. light-bulb moment
    Não estava a conseguir chegar ao resultado, mas subitamente deu-se-me um clique.
    I was failing to reach the result, but suddenly I got a light-bulb moment.

Etymology 3Edit

VerbEdit

clique

  1. inflection of clicar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

ReferencesEdit

  1. 1.0 1.1 clique” in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa. Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2023.
  2. 2.0 2.1 clique” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

SpanishEdit

VerbEdit

clique

  1. inflection of clicar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative