cloven-hoofed
Americanadjective
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having split hoofs, once assumed to represent the halves of a single undivided hoof, as in cattle.
-
devilish; Satanic.
Etymology
Origin of cloven-hoofed
First recorded in 1640–50
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.
Spread by midges, bluetongue poses no threat to the public or food safety but can affect cloven-hoofed animals like sheep and cattle.
From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2025
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
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
Our cloven-hoofed engine did not whirr turbulently along, like a thing of wheels.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 10, No. 61, November, 1862 by Various
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.
