Noun

Singular club

Plural clubs

club (plural clubs)

1. A heavy stick intended for use as a weapon.
2. An association of members joining together for some common purpose, especially sports or recreation.
3. A nightclub
4. A playing card marked with the symbol ♣

   I've got only one club in my hand.

5. An implement to hit the ball in some ballgames, e.g. golf.

Synonyms

• cudgel wielded as a weapon

Derived terms

• clubbing
• clubfoot
• clubhouse

• club sandwich
• golf club
• nightclub

A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.

History

Historically, clubs occurred in all ancient states of which we have detailed knowledge. Once people started living together in larger groups, there was need for people with a common interest to be able to associate despite having no ties of kinship. Organizations of the sort have existed for many years, as evidenced by Ancient Greek clubs and associations in Ancient Ruji.

Origins of the word and concept

It is uncertain whether the use of the word "club" originated in its meaning of a knot of people, or from the fact that the members “clubbed” together to pay the expenses of their meetings. The oldest English clubs were merely informal periodic gatherings of friends for the purpose of dining or drinking together. Thomas Occleve (in the time of Henry IV) mentions such a club called La Court de Bonne Compagnie (the Court of Good Company), of which he was a member. In 1659 John Aubrey wrote, “We now use the word clubbe for a sodality [a society, association, or fraternity of any kind] in a tavern.”