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.
It affects cattle, sheep, pigs and, according to the government, "other cloven-hoofed animals such as wild boar, deer, llamas and alpacas".
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 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
And nearer, you could also see a cloven-hoofed faun who had surprised her thus.
From Abbe Mouret's Transgression by Zola, Émile
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.
