I. ˈklȯ noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English clawe, from Old English clawu, alteration of clēa, gen. dative accusative clawe; akin to Old High German klāwa, chlōa claw, Old Norse klō, Old English cliewen sphere, ball, ball of yarn — more at clew
1. : a sharp nail on the toe of an animal especially when such a nail is slender and curved (as that of a bird or cat) ; also : either lateral half of the hoof of a cloven-footed mammal — see cock illustration
2. : any of various similar sharp curved processes especially if at the end of a limb (as those on the legs of insects) ; sometimes : the limb if it ends in such a process
3. : one of the pincerlike organs terminating certain limbs of some arthropods (as the lobsters and scorpions)
4. : something shaped like or grasping in a way felt to suggest an animal's claw: as
a. : the curved and forked end of a hammer or nail puller
b. : the slender projecting part of a jewelry setting that holds a stone
c. : the slender prolonged basal portion of certain petals (as in the pink) — compare blade 1c(2)
d. : a pronged grasp at the end of a derrick hoist
e. : a gardening tool for loosening soil
f. : a part of the intermittent mechanism of a motion-picture camera, printer, or projector that engages the perforations of and moves the film
5. : a wound from or as if from a claw
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English clawen, from Old English clawan, clawian; akin to Middle Dutch klouwen, Old High German klāwēn; denominative from the root of English claw (I)
transitive verb
1. : to pull, tear, scratch, scrape, seize, clutch, or dig with or as if with claws or nails
2. chiefly Scotland : to scratch softly especially in order to relieve itching or uneasiness
3. : to force forward or upward as if with claws
clawed his way to the top of the mountain
or at the expense of others
claw his way to the top of his profession
4. : to attack spitefully, treacherously, or unexpectedly (as with a veiled insult)
an actress clawing her rival
intransitive verb
1. : to scrape, scratch, dig, or pull with a claw or with the hand as a claw
2. : to grope or clutch in desperation or panic
clawing for the door handle
3. of a boat : to work to windward (as from a lee shore)