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cloying - 3 dictionary results

cloy⋅ing

[kloi-ing]
–adjective
1. causing or tending to cause disgust or aversion through excess: a perfume of cloying sweetness.
2. overly ingratiating or sentimental.

Origin:
1540–50; cloy + -ing 2


cloy⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

cloy

[kloi]
–verb (used with object)
1. to weary by an excess of food, sweetness, pleasure, etc.; surfeit; satiate.
–verb (used without object)
2. to become uninteresting or distasteful through overabundance: A diet of cake and candy soon cloys.

Origin:
1350–1400; aph. var. of ME acloyen < MF enclo(y)er < LL inclāvāre to nail in, equiv. to in- in- 2 + -clāvāre, v. deriv. of clāvus nail


1. glut, sate, bore.
cloy   (kloi)   
v.   cloyed, cloy·ing, cloys

v.   tr.
To cause distaste or disgust by supplying with too much of something originally pleasant, especially something rich or sweet; surfeit.
v.   intr.
To be too filling, rich, or sweet.

[Short for obsolete accloy, to clog, from Middle English acloien, from Old French encloer, to drive a nail into, from Medieval Latin inclāvāre : Latin in-, in; see in-2 + Latin clāvāre, to nail (from clāvus, nail).]
cloy'ing·ly adv., cloy'ing·ness n.
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