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claw - 9 dictionary results
claw
[klaw] 
–noun
| 1. | a sharp, usually curved, nail on the foot of an animal, as on a cat, dog, or bird. |
| 2. | a similar curved process at the end of the leg of an insect. |
| 3. | the pincerlike extremity of specific limbs of certain arthropods: lobster claws. |
| 4. | any part or thing resembling a claw, as the cleft end of the head of a hammer. |
| 5. | Typography. the hooklike projection from the right side of an r or from the bowl of a g. |
| 6. | (in a motion-picture mechanism) a device having one or two teeth that hook into the perforations of a length of film and move it one frame at a time at any given speed. |
| 7. | Jewelry. one of a group of slender, tapering metal projections rising from the base of a jewelry setting, used to hold a transparent or faceted gemstone in position. Compare prong (def. 4). |
–verb (used with object)
| 8. | to tear, scratch, seize, pull, etc., with or as if with claws: The kitten clawed my sweater to shreds. |
| 9. | to make by or as if by scratching, digging, etc., with hands or claws: to claw a hole in the earth. |
| 10. | to proceed by or as if by using the hands: He clawed his way through the crowd. |
–verb (used without object)
| 11. | to scratch, tear, or dig with or as if with claws: The cat clawed and hissed in fear. |
| 12. | to make fumbling motions: He clawed at the door. She clawed for the light switch. |
| 13. | Scot. to scratch gently, as to relieve itching. |
Origin:
bef. 900; (n.) ME; OE clawu; c. OHG chlō(a), akin to D klauw, G Klaue; (v.) ME clawen, OE claw(i)an, deriv. of clawu (n.); akin to D klauwen, G klauen
bef. 900; (n.) ME; OE clawu; c. OHG chlō(a), akin to D klauw, G Klaue; (v.) ME clawen, OE claw(i)an, deriv. of clawu (n.); akin to D klauwen, G klauen
Related forms:
clawer, noun
clawless, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To claw
| claw (klô) n.
To scratch, dig, tear, or pull with or as if with claws. [Middle English clawe, from Old English clawu.] clawed adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Claw
Claw\, n. [AS. clawu, cl[=a], cle['o]; akin to D. klaauw, G. Klaue, Icel. kl[=o], SW. & Dan. klo, and perh. to E. clew.]1. A sharp, hooked nail, as of a beast or bird. 2. The whole foot of an animal armed with hooked nails; the pinchers of a lobster, crab, etc. 3. Anything resembling the claw of an animal, as the curved and forked end of a hammer for drawing nails. 4. (Bot.) A slender appendage or process, formed like a claw, as the base of petals of the pink. --Gray. Claw hammer, a hammer with one end of the metallic head cleft for use in extracting nails, etc. Claw hammer coat, a dress coat of the swallowtail pattern. [Slang] Claw sickness, foot rot, a disease affecting sheep.Claw
Claw\ (kl[add]), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Clawed (kl[add]d); p. pr. & vb. n. Clawing.] [AS. clawan. See Claw, n.]1. To pull, tear, or scratch with, or as with, claws or nails. 2. To relieve from some uneasy sensation, as by scratching; to tickle; hence, to flatter; to court. [Obs.] Rich men they claw, soothe up, and flatter; the poor they contemn and despise. --Holland. 3. To rail at; to scold. [Obs.] In the aforesaid preamble, the king fairly claweth the great monasteries, wherein, saith he, religion, thanks be to God, is right well kept and observed; though he claweth them soon after in another acceptation. --T. Fuller Claw me, claw thee, stand by me and I will stand by you; -- an old proverb. --Tyndale. To claw away, to scold or revile. "The jade Fortune is to be clawed away for it, if you should lose it." --L'Estrange. To claw (one) on the back, to tickle; to express approbation. (Obs.) --Chaucer. To claw (one) on the gall, to find fault with; to vex. [Obs.] --Chaucer.Claw
Claw\, v. i. To scrape, scratch, or dig with a claw, or with the hand as a claw. "Clawing [in ash barrels] for bits of coal." --W. D. Howells. To claw off (Naut.), to turn to windward and beat, to prevent falling on a lee shore.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : claw
Spanish:
garra,
German:
die Krallen,
Japanese:
かぎづめ
claw
O.E. clawu, from P.Gmc. *klawo, from PIE *g(e)l-eu- from base *gel- "to make round, clench." The verb is from O.E. clawian.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: claw
Pronunciation: 'klo
Function: noun
: a sharp usually slender and curved nail on the toe of an animal —clawed /'klod/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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claw (klô) Pronunciation Key
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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claw
narrow, arched structure that curves downward from the end of the digit in birds, reptiles, many mammals, and some amphibians. It is a hardened (keratinized) modification of the epidermis. Claws may be adapted for scratching, clutching, digging, or climbing. By analogy, the appendages of other lower animals are frequently called claws. The claw's shape is ordinarily suited to the food-getting habit of the animal. Eagles have long, curved talons for grasping prey; the claws of chickens are short and sturdy, for scratching the ground for food.
Learn more about claw with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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