clave

¹ American  

[klayv] / kleɪv /

verb

Archaic.

1. simple past tense of cleave.

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clave ² American  

[klah-vay] / ˈklɑ veɪ /

noun

1. one of a pair of wooden sticks or blocks that are held one in each hand and are struck together to accompany music and dancing.

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clave ¹ British  

/ kleɪv, klɑːv /

noun

1. music one of a pair of hardwood sticks struck together to make a hollow sound, esp to mark the beat of Latin-American dance music

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clave ² British  

/ kleɪv /

verb

1. archaic a past tense of cleave 1

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clave ³ British  

/ kleɪv /

noun

1. zoology a clublike thickening at the upper end of an organ, esp of the antenna of an insect

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Etymology

Origin of clave

First recorded in 1925–30; Latin American Spanish, Spanish: “keystone,” from Latin clāvis “key”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clave

“Hey There Little Insect,” an impish folk-rocker, begs bugs not to bite, incorporating Bo Diddley’s signature clave rhythm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Hints of Cuban clave rhythms, Tin Pan Alley harmonies, Jewish melodies and piano licks swim through its overarching Romantic theme.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2024

But Mark Morris, perched on a stool and clacking out the rhythm with a pair of clave sticks, finds plenty to quarrel with as he oversees this rehearsal of his new work.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 21, 2022

You can see why radio likes it—the song is seriously insinuating, milking a jazzy Afro-Cuban piano clave better than anything this side of ’90s house.

From Slate ● Jan. 26, 2018

Still my tongue clave to the roof of my mouth and I could not speak.

From The Deemster by Sir Hall Caine

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