kludge

English

/klʌdʒ/

noun
Definitions
  • (informal) An improvised device, typically crudely constructed to test the validity of a principle before doing a finished design.
  • (informal) Any construction or practice, typically crude yet effective, designed to solve a problem temporarily or expediently.
  • (informal) An amalgamated mass of unrelated parts.
  • (informal) A badly written or makeshift piece of software; a hack.

Etymology

Derived from German klug (clever) derived from Polish klucz (key, a main point, a key, a hint) derived from Russian ключ (key, clue, spring).

Origin

Russian

ключ

Gloss

key, clue, spring

Concept
Semantic Field

The house

Ontological Category

Person/Thing

Kanji

鍵

Emoji
⌨️ 🔐 🗝️

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms