The First Clocks Had No Hands, Only Bells
A clock measures time. Its name comes from a word for bell, because early clocks rang the hours instead of showing them.
A clock is an instrument for measuring and showing time. Its name records what the first ones did: medieval Latin *clocca* means a bell, and early mechanical clocks in monasteries had no dial at all — they struck a bell to call the community to prayer. A device that showed the time silently would not have been called a clock at all. French *cloche* and German *Glocke*, both meaning bell, are the same word.
- A timepiece. *The kitchen clock.*
- To record a time. *He clocked 9.8 seconds.*
- To notice (British informal). *I clocked him at once.*
- Clockwise — in the direction of the hands. *Turn it clockwise.*
- O'clock — of the clock. *Three o'clock.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | clock | A wall clock. |
| Plural | clocks | Two clocks. |
| Verb | clock | Clock the time. |
| Adverb | clockwise | Turn clockwise. |
| Contraction | o'clock | Six o'clock. |
- The clock struck midnight.The old bell sense survives.
- She clocked the fastest lap.Timing.
- Clockwise means with the hands.Direction.
Clock facts
- O'clock is a contraction of *of the clock*
- Clockwise follows sundial shadows in the northern hemisphere
- Big Ben is the bell, not the tower or the clock
- Clocking on and off comes from factory time cards
- Around the clock means continuously, day and night
Middle Dutch *clocke*, a bell or clock, from medieval Latin *clocca*, a bell, probably of Celtic origin.
Why does clock mean bell?
Because the earliest mechanical clocks struck bells to mark the hours rather than displaying them on a dial.
Why is clockwise that direction?
Early clock faces copied sundials, whose shadows move that way in the northern hemisphere.