overwordExplorer
LATIN · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

clavis.

a key

6 characters2 syllables approx.Latina language

Meaning & usage

noun[ˈkɫaː.wɪs]Classical-Latin[ˈklaː.vis]
  1. a key

    declension-3
  2. ellipsis of clāvis trochī, an instrument in the form of a key, by which a top was set in motion

    abbreviation · alt-of · declension-3 · ellipsis
  3. a lever or bar for tightening a screw press

    declension-3
Where this word comes from

From Proto-Italic *klāwis, itself an i-stem derivation of the Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂u- (“nail, pin, hook - instruments, of old use for locking doors”) which gave also Latin clāvus (“nail”), an inherited Indo-European word originally denoting an instrument for unlocking doors.

noun
  1. dative/ablative plural of clāvus

    ablative · dative · form-of · plural
Where this word comes from

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

noun
  1. dative/ablative plural of clāva

    ablative · dative · form-of · plural
Where this word comes from

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

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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.