Plural of clochard; homeless people or vagrants, especially in France.
From French 'clochard,' derived from 'cloche' (bell) because homeless people supposedly carried bells or were associated with bell-ringing; possibly from the sound of their footsteps or possessions.
The word perfectly captures how languages create new words for society's forgotten people—'clochard' emerged in 19th century France during rapid urbanization, and the bell connection might reference how vagrants were sometimes announced or warned away by bell-ringing.
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