clavus

American  

[kley-vuhs, klah-] / ˈkleɪ vəs, ˈklɑ- /

noun

plural

clavi

1. Psychiatry. an intense headache in which the pain is likened to one that would be produced by a sharp object driven into the skull.

2. (in ancient Rome) a vertical stripe or band of purple worn on the tunic by senators and equites.

3. Entomology. clavola.

---

Etymology

Origin of clavus

1800–10; < Latin: literally, nail; akin to claudere to close

Example Sentences

But in this case, scientists discovered a giant structure built entirely out of one species of coral, known as Pavona clavus.

From NewsForKids.net • Nov. 27, 2024

The coral is a species called Pavona clavus and provides a home to shrimp, crabs, fish and other marine creatures.

From BBC • Nov. 13, 2024

They take their name from the Latin word clavus, or the French clou, both meaning a nail, and to which the clove has a considerable resemblance.

From The Book of Household Management by Beeton, Mrs. (Isabella Mary)

Perhaps even clavus, a nail, must also be considered, for a Latin vocabulary of the fifteenth century tells us— "Claves, -vos vel -vas qui fert sit claviger."

From The Romance of Names by Weekley, Ernest

The clavus angustus can therefore never be arctus.

From Döderlein's Hand-book of Latin Synonymes by Döderlein, Ludwig