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claw

(klô)

1. A sharp, curved, horny structure at the end of a toe of a vertebrate animal.

a. A chela or similar pincerlike structure on the end of a limb of a crustacean or arachnid.

b. One of one or more small curved structures at the tip of an appendage of an invertebrate, especially an insect or other arthropod.

c. A limb terminating in such a structure.

3. Something, such as the cleft end of a hammerhead, that resembles a claw.

4. Botany A narrowed, stalklike basal part of a petal, sepal, or bract.

tr. & intr.v. clawed, claw·ing, claws

To scratch, dig, tear, or pull with the claws or fingernails.

[Middle English clawe, from Old English clawu.]

clawed adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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