English Explanatory Dictionary

claw

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun

A curved, pointed, horny projection on each digit of the foot of a mammal, reptile, or bird.
A foot equipped with such.
The pincer (chela) of a crustacean or other arthropod.
A mechanical device resembling a claw, used for gripping or lifting.
A human fingernail, particularly one extending well beyond the fingertip.
A slender appendage or process, formed like a claw, such as the base of petals of the pink.
The act of catching a ball overhand.
A tree with one internal vertex and three leaves.

verb

To scratch or to tear at.
To use the claws to seize, to grip.
To use the claws to climb.
To perform a claw catch.
To move with one's fingertips.
To relieve an uneasy feeling, such as an itch, by scratching (someone or something); hence (figuratively), to flatter or humour (someone); to court, to fawn on.
To rail at, revile, or scold (someone or something).
To do (something) quickly.

name

A surname from Navajo.

Pronunciation

/klɔ/ /klɑ/ /klɔː/ En-us-claw.ogg

Word forms

claw claws clawing clawed

Etymology

From Middle English clawe, from Old English clawu, from Proto-Germanic *klawō. Compare West Frisian klau, Dutch klauw, German Klaue, Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish klo.

Synonyms

fang

Derived words

bear claw beclaw cat-claw catclaw cat's claw clawbed claw clip claw crane clawer clawfoot clawfooted claw frog clawful claw hammer claw-hammer coat clawhand clawless clawlike claw machine claw ring claw sickness clawsome claw toe claw tool clawy crab claw declaw Devil's claw dew claw foreclaw get one's claws into hind claw lobster claw longclaw Ravenclaw red in tooth and claw tack claw tiger's claw toilet claw tooth and claw wolf's-claw claw away claw back claw off claw me, claw thee

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.

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