Kludge

Pronunciation

• IPA: /klÊŒdÊ’/, /kluÊ’/
• Rhymes: -ÊŒdÊ’

Origin

Perhaps from British military slang, possibly based on Scots word kludge or kludgie ("common toilet") or from the German klug ("clever"); possibly related to Polish and Russian klucz ("a key, a hint, a main point")

Cf. German Klōß, diminutive Klößchen "clod", Low Saxon klut, klute, Dutch kluit, perhaps related to Low German diminutive klütje "dumpling, clod", Danish Jutland dial. klyt "piece of bad workmanship, kludge", and Standard Danish kludder "mess, disorder". If so, related to klutz.

There is evidence that kluge was once a separate word with similar meaning but separate derivation, but the spelling kludge was widely popularized in the U.S. by a 1962 Datamation article, “How to Design a Kludge”.

Full definition of kludge

Noun

1. (electronics engineering) an improvised device, usually crudely constructed. Typically used to test the validity of a principle before doing a finished design.
2. (general) any construction or practice, typically inelegant, designed to solve a problem temporarily or expediently.
3. (computing) an amalgamated mass of totally unrelated parts forming a distressing whole the Datamation article mentioned in the Usage Note below.

Verb

1. to build or use a kludge

Usage notes

Related terms

• kludgy