From Old English 'clingan' (to stick, to shrivel) — originally meaning both to hold fast and to shrink.
To hold on tightly to something; to stick closely to a surface; to remain persistently attached.
From Old English 'clingan' (to stick, to adhere, to shrink, to wither, to contract), from Proto-Germanic *klinganą (to stick together, to contract). The Proto-Germanic root likely connects to PIE *gleybh- or a related base meaning to stick or adhere. The original Old English sense was distinctly dual: both to adhere or stick and to shrink or shrivel — the semantic bridge being that organic matter contracts
In Old English, 'clingan' could mean both 'to stick' and 'to shrivel up.' The connection makes sense when you think of drying fruit or leather — as it shrinks, it clings to itself. A 'clingstone' peach (where the flesh clings to the pit) preserves this dual meaning perfectly: the fruit both sticks to and