Resembling a cloud in appearance, texture, or form; having qualities similar to a cloud such as being fluffy, light, or ethereal.
From 'cloud' (Old English 'clud,' originally meaning a lump of earth or clay) combined with '-like' (Old English suffix meaning 'similar to'). The metaphorical use of 'cloud' for the sky phenomenon developed in Middle English.
The suffix '-like' is one of English's most productive tools for creativity—almost any noun can become 'adjective-like' to describe similarity, which is why Shakespeare could invent words like 'moon-like' and still sound natural to speakers. This flexibility helped English vocabulary explode during the Renaissance.
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