Other forms: claws, clawed, clawing
A claw is one of the hard, curved nails on an animal's foot — a cat's, an eagle's, a badger's. The lines scratched down the side of the sofa are claws.
A crab or a lobster has claws too, though those are the big pincers that grip and cut, a different thing altogether. As a verb, to claw is to tear or scrape at something: the cat claws the carpet, a swimmer claws at the water. People claw their way up as well, which means slow progress with nothing handed over free. A hammer has a claw, the split back end you hook under a nail to lever it out. And to claw back money is to get returned what has already been paid out.
1nounclawA sharp curved nail on the foot of an animal or bird.
“The kitten's claws caught in the wool of my jumper.”
2nounlargeThe large pincer at the end of a crab's or lobster's leg.
“Crack the claw with the back of a knife and pull the meat out.”
3verbscratchTo scratch, tear or grab at something with claws or fingernails.
“The dog clawed at the door until somebody let it in.”
4nounforkedThe forked end of a hammer, used for pulling nails out of wood.
“Use the claw of the hammer, not your fingers.”
claw is a part of an animal's foot.
Also accepted in games: claws
Claw is one of the old ones: Middle English clawe, Old English clawu, Proto-Germanic *klawō. Its cousins are still recognisable across the North Sea — Dutch klauw, German Klaue, Swedish and Danish klo. A thousand years of English have barely dented the word.
Proto-Germanic
*klawō
Old English
clawu
Middle English
clawe
English, today
claw
From Middle English clawe, from Old English clawu, from Proto-Germanic klawō. Compare West Frisian klau, Dutch klauw, German Klaue, Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish klo.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in Nature & Weather, A Man Called Ove, Pets & Pet Care
First appears in chapter 1 of A Man Called Ove.
Practise this word