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.

---

Etymology

Origin of cloven-hoofed

First recorded in 1640–50

Example Sentences

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

From Reuters • Oct. 29, 2022

Last December, Ms. Miller tweeted a picture of a cloven-hoofed sculpture that the Satanic Temple, a self-described nontheistic religious group, had installed near a Christmas tree and Nativity scene inside the Illinois State Capitol.

From New York Times • Oct. 22, 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

All three, soon as perceiving the ladies, trot towards them; the ponies stretching out their necks to be patted; the cloven-hoofed creature equally courting caresses.

From Gwen Wynn A Romance of the Wye by Reid, Mayne