Obs. or dial. [ME. clūte, perh.:—OE. *clúta or *clúte, corresp. to Du. kluit fem. clod, piece, MDu. clûte, MLG. and mod.LG. klûte m. f.:—OTeut. *klûton- or *klûtôn-; same root as prec.]
1. Clot of earth, clod.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 1165. Mid stave, and stoone, and turf, and clute, Þat þu ne miht nohwar atrute.
1887. Parish & Shaw, Kentish Dial., Clout, a clod, or lump of earth, in a ploughed field.
† 2. pl. Clotted or clouted cream, cream curds.
c. 1430. Cookery Bks. (1888), 47. Put þer-to creme, (& ȝif it be clowtys, draw it þorwe a straynoure).
a. 1648. Digby, Closet Open. (1677), 111. To take the Clouts the more conveniently.
Comb. clout-crushed, crushed or pressed in the curd.
1599. Nashe, Lenten Stuffe (1871), 41. Their lordly Parmesan (so named of the city of Parma, in Italy, where it is first clout-crushed and made).
