a timepiece that shows the time of day
"She set her new clock on the mantelpiece so everyone could see what time it was without having to ask."
An instrument that measures or keeps track of time; a non-wearable timepiece.
"The gardener quickly covered the large clock beetle that had rolled over his prized petunia."
A pattern near the heel of a sock or stocking.
A large beetle, especially the European dung beetle (Geotrupes stercorarius).
In plain English: A clock is a device that tells you what time it is.
"He checked the clock to see what time it was."
Usage: As a noun, clock refers to a device that measures and displays time, not the European dung beetle. Use this word when talking about watches, wall timers, or alarms, never for insects.
To measure the duration of.
"The mother hen began to clock loudly when she saw her chicks huddled in the rain."
To ornament (e.g. the side of a stocking) with figured work.
To make the sound of a hen; to cluck.
In plain English: To clock means to notice or see something happen.
"The farmer's hens clocked contentedly in the barnyard."
Usage: Do not use "clock" to mean clucking like a hen; that is a rare dialectal usage unrelated to the word's common sense. Instead, use it as a verb to indicate hitting something with precision or recording a specific time.
A surname.
"The new clock family moved into the house next door, and their dog has already made friends with Mr. Clock's golden retriever."
The word "clock" entered English around 1370 from Middle Dutch and Medieval Latin, where it originally referred to a bell. Its ultimate roots likely lie in Celtic languages or perhaps onomatopoeia for the sound of ringing.