From Flock to Groom
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Tap any rung for its meaning.
Two stepping stones: the C (rung 1, for clock) and the B (rung 4, for brook) — each borrowed to keep a rung a real word, then given back before the end. There may be several par routes — the census above shows which ones climbers actually took.
A group of birds, sheep, or similar animals together.
From Old English 'flocc', meaning a group or crowd of people or animals. The word is thought to be related to Old Norse 'flokkr', also meaning a crowd or band. Its exact earlier origins are uncertain, but it has been used in English for a very long time.
Full entry on Wiktionary ↗To clean and tidy a person or animal's appearance.
Originally an old word for a male servant or stable hand. Its roots are uncertain, possibly from an Old French or Germanic word for someone who tends horses. Over time it came to mean caring for appearance generally, and also a bridegroom.
Full entry on Wiktionary ↗Definitions give each word’s most common meaning — the full entries live at Wiktionary.