a North American plant, Galium aparine, of the madder family, having short, hooked bristles on the stems and leaves and bearing very small white flowers.
Origin: bef. 1000; ME clivre, OE clife burdock (-re prob. by assoc. with ME clivres (pl.) claws, or with the agent n. from cleven to cleave1, whence the modern sp.)
[klee-verz] 
