clove.
A very pungent aromatic spice, the unexpanded flower bud of the clove tree.
Meaning & usage
A very pungent aromatic spice, the unexpanded flower bud of the clove tree.
A clove tree, of the species Syzygium aromaticum (syn. Caryophyllus aromaticus), native to the Moluccas (Indonesian islands), which produces the spice.
An old English measure of weight, containing 7 pounds (3.2 kg), i.e. half a stone.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English clove, an alteration of earlier clowe, borrowed from the first component of Old French clou (de girofle) (modern French clou de girofle), from Latin clāvus (“nail”) for its shape. Also see clāva (“knotty branch, club”). Doublet of clou and clavus.
One of the small bulbs that make up the large, compound bulb in garlic, shallots, or similar plants.
clove of garlic, garlic clove, clove of a sea-onion, clove of shallot, cloves of bulbs
A segment or natural division of a fruit.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English clove, from Old English clufu, from Proto-West Germanic *klubu, from Proto-Germanic *klubō, related to clēofan (“to cleave, split”), hence with the verbal etymology hereafter.
A narrow valley with steep sides.
Where this word comes from
Borrowed from Dutch klove (now kloof). Doublet of kloof.
simple past of cleave
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.