Pronounced: HOE-kum, noun
Notes: I wasn’t sure about this word; there are two meanings.
Yesterday’s word
The word claque is
- a group hired to applaud at a performance
- a group of servile flatterers
First usage
This word came into English in the mid-1800s
Background / Comments
Our word comes from French; the verb for “to clap” is claquer (the noun form is claque). When the word came into English, it was common in French theater culture to infiltrate the audience with hired members. These claque were given money and free tickets to laugh, cry, clap, etc at the right moment, hopefully encouraging the rest of the audience
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 