klucht

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch cluft, clucht, from Old Dutch *kluft, from Proto-Germanic *kluftiz (whence also German Kluft, English cleft). Equivalent to klieven (“to cleave”) +‎ -t (“verbal noun”), and the Middle Dutch meaning was at first "separation, department", later also "neighbourhood of a town". The sense shifted to its modern meaning only in early modern Dutch times, starting with "nonsense, prattle" and then "joke, humorous story".

Pronunciation

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Noun

klucht f or m (plural kluchten, diminutive kluchtje n)

1. farce, coarse comedy
2. a small flock of birds; covey, brood

   Ik zag een klucht patrijzen in het veld. ― I saw a flock of partridges in the field.

West Flemish

Etymology

From Middle Dutch cluft, clucht, from Old Dutch *kluft, from Proto-Germanic *kluftiz.

Noun

klucht f (plural kluchtn, diminutive kluchtje)

1. joke