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clave

1
[ kleyv ]
/ kleɪv /
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verb Archaic.
simple past tense of cleave1.
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Other definitions for clave (2 of 2)

clave2
[ klah-vey ]
/ ˈklɑ veɪ /

noun
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.

Origin of clave

2
First recorded in 1925–30; Latin American Spanish, Spanish: “keystone,” from Latin clāvis “key”
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use clave in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for clave (1 of 3)

clave1
/ (kleɪv, klɑːv) /

noun
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

Word Origin for clave

C20: from American Spanish, from Latin clavis key

British Dictionary definitions for clave (2 of 3)

clave2
/ (kleɪv) /

verb
archaic a past tense of cleave 1

British Dictionary definitions for clave (3 of 3)

clave3
/ (kleɪv) /

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

Word Origin for clave

C19: from Latin clāva club
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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