What is the Latin word for clew, clue?

The usual Latin words for “clew, clue” are glomus, līnum, Propertius. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“clew, clue” in Latin

glomusball-shaped mass; ball of thread, yarn līnumflax; linen cloth; garment made of linen; rope, line, string, thread, cord, cable PropertiusA Roman family name — famously held by

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

clew, clue

glomus. To twist anything in a clew, aliquid glomerare.

Guiding thread, linum or filum dux (Vid: Propertius, 3, 5, 8; Verg., Aen., 6, 29). IMPR., perhaps dux: aliquid sequor.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for clew, clue?: The usual Latin words for “clew, clue” are glomus, līnum, Propertius. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.