a stone; _e.g._ Clach-breac (the speckled stone); Clach-an-Oban (the stone of the little bay); Clach-na-darrach (the stone of the oak grove); Clachach (a stony place). The word clachan, in Scotland, was originally applied to a circle of stones where the Pagan rites of worship were wont to be celebrated; and, after the introduction of Christianity, houses and churches were erected near these spots, and thus clachan came to mean a hamlet; and, at the present day, the expression used in asking a person if he is going to church is--“_Am bheil-thu’dol do’n clachan?_” (_i.e._ “Are you going to the stones?”) There is the Clachan of Aberfoyle in Perthshire; and in Blair-Athole there is a large stone called _Clach n’iobairt_ (the stone of sacrifice). In Skye there is _Clach-na-h-Annat_ (the stone of Annat, the goddess of victory); and those remarkable Druidical remains, called rocking-stones, are termed in Gaelic _Clach-bhraeth_ (the stone of knowledge), having been apparently used for divination. There are others called _Clach-na-greine_ (the stone of the sun), and _Clach-an-t-sagairt_ (of the priest). The village of Clackmannan was originally _Clachan-Mannan_, _i.e._ the stone circle or hamlet of the district anciently called _Mannan_. In Ireland this root-word commonly takes the form of _clogh_ or _clough_, as in Cloghbally, Cloghvally (stony dwelling); Clogher (the stony land); Clomony (the stony shrubbery); Clorusk (the stony marsh); Cloichin, Cloghan, Clogheen (land full of little stones); but the word clochan is also applied to stepping-stones across a river, as in _Clochan-na-bh Fomharaigh_ (the stepping-stones of the Fomarians, _i.e._ the Giant’s Causeway); Cloghereen (the little stony place); Ballycloch and Ballenaclogh (the town of the stones); Auchnacloy (the field of the stone); Clochfin (the white stone); Clonakilty, corrupt. from _Clough-na-Kiltey_ (the stone house of the O’Keelys). [Sidenote: CLAR, CLARAGH (Irish),] a board, a plain, a flat piece of land; Clare is the name of several places in different counties of Ireland, sometimes softened to _Clara_. County Clare is said to have derived its name from a plank placed across the R. Fergus, at the village of Clare. Ballyclare, Ballinclare (the town of the plain); Clarbane (white plain); Clarderry (level oak grove); Clarchoill (level wood); Clareen (little plain). [Sidenote: CLAWDD (Cym.-Cel.),] a dyke or embankment; _e.g._ Clawdd-Offa (Offa’s Dyke). [Sidenote: CLEFF (A.S.), _cleof_ and _clyf_, KLIPPE (Ger. and Scand.),]