I. clove 1 /kləʊv $ kloʊv/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Sense 1: Language: Old English ; Origin: clufu ]
[ Sense 2: Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: clou (de girofle) 'nail of clove' , from Latin clavus 'nail' ]
1 . one of the separate parts that form a ↑ garlic plant:
a clove of garlic
2 . a black ↑ spice (=something used to give a special taste to food) with a strong sweet smell
II. clove 2 BrE AmE
a past tense of ↑ cleave