different between unclench vs clench

English

Etymology

From Middle English unclenchen, equivalent to un- +? clench.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?n?kl?nt?/
• Rhymes: -?nt?

Verb

unclench (third-person singular simple present unclenches, present participle unclenching, simple past and past participle unclenched)

1. (transitive) To open (something that was clenched).

2. (intransitive) To relax, especially one's muscles.

Translations

English

Etymology

From Middle English clenchen, from Old English clen?an (“to clinch; hold fast”), a variant of Old English clen?an (“to adhere; remain”), from Proto-Germanic *klangijan?, causative of *klingan? (“to stick; adhere”). Related to cling.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kl?nt?/
• Rhymes: -?nt?

Verb

clench (third-person singular simple present clenches, present participle clenching, simple past and past participle clenched) (transitive, intransitive)

1. To grip or hold fast.

   • Clinch the pointed spear.

2. To close tightly.

Synonyms

• (grip or hold tightly): clasp, clutch, grip; See also Thesaurus:grasp

Antonyms

• unclench

Derived terms

• clinch

Translations

Noun

clench (plural clenches)

1. Tight grip.
2. (engineering) A seal that is applied to formed thin-wall bushings.
3. A local chapter of the Church of the SubGenius parody religion.
4. (archaic) A pun

   • Here one poor word an hundred clenches makes

Translations

References

• clench at OneLook Dictionary Search
• clench in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.