longcase clock

6.2

A tall, freestanding clock with a long wooden case and a swinging pendulum

noun
/ˈlɔŋˌkeɪs klɒk/

: reloj de pie

The longcase clock reminded her of her grandfather, who cherished it in his study for many years.

Examples

The longcase clock is in pieces, Alfred Matzerath.

Academic text (2009)
The old longcase clock in the living room chimed every hour, filling the house with its melodic sound.
As I entered the antique store, I noticed a beautiful longcase clock standing elegantly against the wall.

Synonyms

grandfather clock

vslongcase clock

5 3.8

A tall freestanding clock with a long swinging weight that tells time

has identical meaning but differs as an alternative common name

How Tall

clock tower

11 2.8

longcase clock

6.2

clock

∞ 1.0

wall clock

4 1.0

Surface Forms

longcase clock singular

longcase clocks plural

Morphology

longcase + clock

The sense is directly derivable from the constituents: 'long' + 'case' describes an extended/ tall case containing a 'clock', so a learner who knows those words can infer a clock housed in a long upright case (i.e., a tall freestanding clock). This follows regular English compounding patterns and is cross-linguistically reconstructable, so a B1 learner knowing the parts would likely understand the MWE.

Etymology

The noun longcase clock comes from the words long and case, because the clock needed a long wooden case to hold its swinging weight, so the whole piece stood on the floor with a tall body. That's why a longcase clock, often called a 'grandfather clock' after a popular song, means a tall freestanding clock with a long case.