Where does “clove” come from?
Clove comes from Dutch kloof, from Middle Dutch clove, from Latin clavus meaning nail or peg, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European glewbʰ- and gel-.
clove (English): A very pungent aromatic spice, the unexpanded...
Definitions
- A very pungent aromatic spice, the unexpanded...
Ancestry of “clove”, step by step
clove traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English clove
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | clove | clove; Alternative form of clowe; Alternative... |
| 2 | Middle English | clowe | A clove; Alternative form of clove; Alternative... |
| 3 | Old French | clou | — |
| 4 | Latin | clāvus | a nail (metal spike) |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | klāwos | capable of closing something |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kleh₂w- | a hook, crook, peg |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kel- | to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,... |
via Dutch klove
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | klove |