cloven-hoofed

American  

[kloh-vuhn-hooft, -hooft] / ˈkloʊ vənˈhʊft, -ˈhuft /

Also cloven-footed

adjective

1. having split hoofs, once assumed to represent the halves of a single undivided hoof, as in cattle.

2. devilish; Satanic.

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Etymology

Origin of cloven-hoofed

First recorded in 1640–50

Example Sentences

Spread by midges, bluetongue poses no threat to the public or food safety but can have serious consequences for cloven-hoofed animals like sheep and cattle.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2025

FMD is highly transmissible and causes lesions and lameness in cattle, sheep, goats and other cloven-hoofed animals, but does not affect humans.

From Reuters • Aug. 11, 2022

In cloven-hoofed animals, the disease can cause blisters and lesions that prevent animals from eating and in some cases cause lameness and death.

From Washington Times • Aug. 2, 2022

Atlanta is, after all, famous for things like hip-hop and Coca-Cola, not cloven-hoofed mammals.

From The Guardian • Oct. 25, 2018

For example, ungulates which do not ruminate, and have not a cloven hoof, have a more perfect dentition and more bones in the foot than the true cloven-hoofed ruminants.

From Form and Function A Contribution to the History of Animal Morphology by E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell