cleavers

American  

[klee-verz] / ˈkli vərz /

noun

plural

cleavers

1. a North American plant, Galium aparine, of the madder family, having short, hooked bristles on the stems and leaves and bearing very small white flowers.

2. any of certain related species.

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cleavers British  

/ ˈkliːvəz /

noun

1. Also called: goosegrass.   hairif.   sticky willie.  (functioning as singular) a Eurasian rubiaceous plant, Galium aparine, having small white flowers and prickly stems and fruits

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Etymology

Origin of cleavers

before 1000; Middle English clivre, Old English clife burdock ( -re probably by association with Middle English clivres (plural) claws, or with the agent noun from cleven to cleave ¹, whence the modern spelling)

Example Sentences

"Beryl was like a surprise attack, like an ambush," says Cornelius, in a deep baritone voice, over the market's chatter, reggae and thwack of cleavers on chopping boards.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2024

Like sitcom employees, the Clyde’s cooks complain about how busy they are, and they look busy, smacking cleavers through heads of lettuce, slapping turkey slices onto waxed paper, and lavishly squeezing sauces all over them.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 23, 2022

Kinmen is now known for the production of meat cleavers carved out of strewn artillery shells.

From Washington Post • Aug. 3, 2022

In the office, two cleavers are stuck forebodingly into the wall, an installation by Barry Le Va, the influential sculptor who died this year.

From New York Times • Jun. 14, 2021

A couple of feet across from the women, behind yellow, featherless chickens hanging from hooks, men in bloody aprons raise their cleavers and cut into slabs of beef with the precision of many years’ practice.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung