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Synonyms

clove

1 American  
[klohv] / kloʊv /

noun

  1. the dried flower bud of a tropical tree, Syzygium aromaticum, of the myrtle family, used whole or ground as a spice.

  2. the tree itself.

clove 2 American  
[klohv] / kloʊv /

noun

Botany.

  1. one of the small bulbs formed in the axils of the scales of a mother bulb, as in garlic.

clove 3 American  
[klohv] / kloʊv /

verb

  1. a simple past tense of cleave.

clove 4 American  
[klohv] / kloʊv /

noun

  1. a British unit of weight for wool, cheese, etc., usually equivalent to 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms).

clove 1 British  
/ kləʊv /

noun

  1. a tropical evergreen myrtaceous tree, Syzygium aromaticum , native to the East Indies but cultivated elsewhere, esp Zanzibar

  2. the dried unopened flower buds of this tree, used as a pungent fragrant spice

"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
clove 2 British  
/ kləʊv /

noun

  1. any of the segments of a compound bulb that arise from the axils of the scales of a large bulb

"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
clove 3 British  
/ kləʊv /

verb

  1. a past tense of cleave 1

"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

Etymology

Origin of clove1

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English clow(e), clo(ve), clawe (short for clow-gilofre from Old French clo, clou, clau (de gilofre, girofle), literally “nail of the gillyflower”; clou, gillyflower

Origin of clove2

First recorded before 1000; Middle English clove, clof, clowe, Old English clufe (plural) “ears of grain, cloves of garlic”; (cognate with Middle Dutch clōve, Dutch kloof ); akin to cleave 2

Origin of clove4

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English claue, clou from Anglo-French clove, earlier clou, equivalent to Anglo-Latin clāvus “nail” (also used as a unit of linear measure), from Latin clāvus; clove 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The eels are sedated using clove oil so that Dr Evans and his PhD student group can easily measure them.

From BBC • Aug. 30, 2025

From there, I started experimenting: berries, stone fruit, apple slices blanketed in cinnamon and clove.

From Salon • May 6, 2025

One woman arrived with a clove of garlic and placed it down on the table before she started talking.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 10, 2024

This is not the first time that the orange juice industry has had to contend with clove odor.

From Science Daily • Feb. 6, 2024

She is carrying a basket with an unplucked chicken, four lemons, and a brittle garlic clove.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.