clove
1 Americannoun
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the dried flower bud of a tropical tree, Syzygium aromaticum, of the myrtle family, used whole or ground as a spice.
-
the tree itself.
noun
verb
noun
noun
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a tropical evergreen myrtaceous tree, Syzygium aromaticum , native to the East Indies but cultivated elsewhere, esp Zanzibar
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the dried unopened flower buds of this tree, used as a pungent fragrant spice
noun
verb
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”; see origin at 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; see 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.
There has been a sobering awareness in the WhatsApp group chat where Clove Galilee has kept up with her neighbors since the Palisades fire destroyed their homes.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2025
“Things would be delivered to the house, and Clove would be like, ‘What is this?’”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2025
A: At Clove Brook Farm, we entertain outside much the same as we do inside.
From Seattle Times • May 31, 2021
As the summer wore on, the infection rate plummeted, but few new patients moved into Clove Lakes.
From New York Times • Oct. 29, 2020
"Of course, I'm not going. Give me some credit. Do you think I'm running straight into some free-for-all against Cato and Clove and Thresh? Don't be stupid," I say, helping him back to bed.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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.
