1240: clamber: From a Strong Verb May 2, 2018

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In Appalachian English, people do not say 'climbed' and 'had climbed' but will opt instead for 'clamb' and 'clumb'. This word belongs in strong verb class 3, which you can learn about more in the most recent Word Facts video. However, this fact is not just something fun to say at parties, but also helps to understand an etymology which more people are probably familiar with today: clamber. The word 'clamber' is thought to ultimately derive from 'climb', but the reason that the word in question is not 'climber' is that it comes from 'clamb'. "Why did it come from a participle?" you might ask: no one knows; linguistic innovation is not always logical, whether that is in minority dialects or standard forms.

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