Word
clove
US/ˈkɫoʊv/
UK/klˈəʊv/
Definitions
01spice
n. a small, dried flower bud from a tropical tree, used to add a strong, sweet flavour to food.
n. the dried, unexpanded flower bud of the Syzygium aromaticum tree, used as a pungent aromatic spice.
“She added a single clove to the apple pie to give it a warm, spicy scent.”
“The recipe calls for whole cloves to be simmered in the mulled wine, though they should be removed before serving to avoid their intense bitterness.”
02garlic segment
n. one of the small, separate sections that make up a whole bulb of garlic.
n. one of the small bulbs or segments that form a larger compound bulb, most commonly associated with garlic.
“The recipe says to crush two cloves of garlic and fry them in oil.”
“After peeling each individual clove, he minced them finely to ensure the garlic flavour was evenly distributed throughout the marinade.”
Pitfall
I used three bulbs of garlic in the pasta sauce.
I used three cloves of garlic in the pasta sauce.
A 'bulb' is the entire head of garlic; a 'clove' is one individual piece from that head.
04narrow valley
n. a narrow valley with very steep sides.
n. a narrow, steep-sided valley or ravine.
“The hikers followed the stream deep into the clove between the two mountains.”
“Kaaterskill Clove in the Catskill Mountains has long been a favourite subject for landscape painters due to its dramatic cliffs and waterfalls.”
American English · Dialect
Etymology
From Middle English clove, an alteration of earlier clowe, borrowed from the first component of Old French clou (de girofle) (modern French clou de girofle), from Latin clāvus (“nail”) for its shape. Also see clāva (“knotty branch, club”). Doublet of clou and clavus.
From Middle English clove, from Old English clufu, from Proto-West Germanic klubu, from Proto-Germanic klubō, related to clēofan (“to cleave, split”), hence with the verbal etymology hereafter.
Borrowed from Dutch klove (now kloof). Doublet of kloof.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/clove