clove

¹

[ klohv ]

noun

1. the dried flower bud of a tropical tree, Syzygium aromaticum, of the myrtle family, used whole or ground as a spice.
2. the tree itself.

clove

²

[ klohv ]

noun

, Botany.

1. one of the small bulbs formed in the axils of the scales of a mother bulb, as in garlic.

clove

³

[ klohv ]

verb

1. a simple past tense of cleave ².

clove

⁴

[ klohv ]

noun

1. a British unit of weight for wool, cheese, etc., usually equivalent to 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms).

clove

¹

/ kləʊv /

verb

1. a past tense of cleave 1

clove

²

/ kləʊv /

noun

1. a tropical evergreen myrtaceous tree, Syzygium aromaticum , native to the East Indies but cultivated elsewhere, esp Zanzibar
2. the dried unopened flower buds of this tree, used as a pungent fragrant spice

clove

³

/ kləʊv /

noun

1. any of the segments of a compound bulb that arise from the axils of the scales of a large bulb

Word History and Origins

Origin of clove¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English clow(e), clo(ve), clawe (short for clow-gilofre from Old French clo, clou, clau (de gilofre, girofle), literally “nail of the gillyflower”; clou, gillyflower

Origin of clove²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English clove, clof, clowe, Old English clufe (plural) “ears of grain, cloves of garlic”; (cognate with Middle Dutch clōve, Dutch kloof ); akin to cleave ²

Origin of clove³

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English claue, clou from Anglo-French clove, earlier clou, equivalent to Anglo-Latin clāvus “nail” (also used as a unit of linear measure), from Latin clāvus; clove ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of clove¹

C14: from Old French clou de girofle, literally: nail of clove, clou from Latin clāvus nail + girofle clove tree

Origin of clove²

Old English clufu bulb; related to Old High German klovolouh garlic; see cleave ¹

Example Sentences

In the past few weeks, brush fires have blazed not just in Prospect Park but in parks across all five NYC boroughs, including in Van Cortlandt, Fort Tryon, Flushing Meadows Corona, Clove Lakes, and Gerritsen Beach.

From Slate

When chef Meherwan Irani, a James Beard Award winner, envisions a White House led by Kamala Harris, he imagines something as distinct as the aroma of spices — cardamom, ginger, and a whisper of clove — drifting from the presidential kitchen.

From Salon

“A pinch of clove meant, You wouldn’t like the taste of Monkey. His insides are too bitter with religious contempt—what?!”

From Literature

“Just garlic, garlic, garlic for at least a mile. I’m seeing a clove. I’ve been walking. Does anyone know what is up? Is there some sort of garlic ceremony in South Seattle?”

From Seattle Times

One woman arrived with a clove of garlic and placed it down on the table before she started talking.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• chasm
• crack
• cut
• difference
• disagreement
• disparity
• divergence
• divide
• division
• hole
• inconsistency
• rift
• void