clove

B1 Topic:Plants & Agriculture

US /kloʊv/ UK /kləʊv/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like clothe /ð/ vs /v/

Meanings

1

noun
a dried flower bud used as a spice, known for its aromatic and pungent flavor

The recipe called for a teaspoon of ground clove.
2

noun
a segment of a bulb, especially of garlic, used in cooking

She added a clove of garlic to the sauce for extra flavor.
3

noun
a unit of measure referring to one of the small, individual sections of a garlic bulb

The recipe requires three cloves of garlic.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a dried flower bud used as... spice seasoning flavoring condiment aromatic

2 noun · a segment of a bulb,... segment piecebulb sectiongarlic piece

3 noun · a unit of measure referring... segment piece section

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

garlic clove
one of the separate small sections that make up a garlic bulb

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Clove has two unrelated origins. The spice name comes through Old French clou de girofle, literally “nail of the clove tree,” referring to the spice’s nail-like shape. A clove of garlic is an Old English word related to cleave and cloven.

Etymology

From Latin clavus ("nail; clove") via Old French clou ("nail; clove") and Middle English clove ("spice derived from dried flower buds"); named for the bud's nail-like shape.

Topics

Plants & Agriculture

External links

# clove

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /kloʊv/
**IPA (UK):** /kləʊv/

## Meanings
1. a dried flower bud used as a spice, known for its aromatic and pungent flavor
2. a segment of a bulb, especially of garlic, used in cooking
3. a unit of measure referring to one of the small, individual sections of a garlic bulb

## Examples
- The recipe called for a teaspoon of ground clove.
- She added a clove of garlic to the sauce for extra flavor.
- The recipe requires three cloves of garlic.

## Synonyms
- spice
- seasoning
- flavoring
- condiment
- aromatic
- segment
- piece
- bulb section
- section

## Etymology
From Latin clavus ("nail; clove") via Old French clou ("nail; clove") and Middle English clove ("spice derived from dried flower buds"); named for the bud's nail-like shape.

## AI Etymology
Clove comes from Latin clavus ("nail; clove") via Old French clou ("nail; clove") and Middle English clove ("spice derived from dried flower buds"); named for the bud's nail-like shape. In current use it is a noun meaning "a dried flower bud used as a spice, known for its aromatic and pungent flavor". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense.

## Topics
- Plants & Agriculture

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