Obs. exc. dial. Forms: 1 cléa, cléo, 3 cleu, 4 klee, 4–5 cle, 4–6 (9 dial.) clee, 4–7 (9 dial.) clea, 5–7 (9 dial.) cley, 7 cleye, cleie, 8–9 dial. clay. Pl. 1 cléo, 4–5 cleon, cleen, cleos, 4– clees, 4–5 cles, 4, 7 cleas, 6 cleyse, cleaze, cleaes, 6–7 clese, cleese, 6– cleyes, cleys. [Another form of the sb. CLAW, representing the original OE. form of the nominative, cléa (cléo); while claw represents the oblique cases (clawe, etc.), and the later nominative clawu reconstructed on these. See CLAW.
Cléa occurs in Vesp. Ps., and, with dat. pl. cléam, also in (? WS.) Alexander’s Epistle to Aristotle 375, 378; a dat. pl. clám in Phœnix 277 may possibly be for cléam. Cléo occurs only in poetry: Thorpe’s Ps. (not WS.). Cléa represented prehist. clau, claw- or clǽw-, from original *klawâ- or *klǣwâ (cf. wéa, péa: Sievers Ags. Gram. § 112). Of cléo the history is not quite clear: it might be a northern form corresponding to cléa (from clǽw-), as déd to dǽd (see Sievers loc. cit.). It is the normal source of ME. cleu, cle, clee; ME. clea may represent OE. cléa; the later spelling cley, clay is unexplained.]
1. = CLAW sb. 1.
c. 1250. Meid Maregrete, xlvi. Anoþer deuel … E heuede eien on is cleu . ant eken on is to.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. I. 172. A cat … wol … To hur clees [v.r. cleos, cleon, clawes] clawen ows.
1482. Monk of Evesham, xxxiii. (Arb.), 76. With her bylle and scharpe cleys.
1523. Fitzherb., Surv., xv. (1539), 33. The cuttynge of the doggis cleyse.
1575. Turberv., Falconrie, 349. Take the clee of a bittor.
1581. J. Studley, Seneca’s Hercules Œtæus, 206 b.
| What cralling Crab I say | |
| With crooking cleaze to comber mee. |
a. 1637. B. Jonson, Underwoods, Eupheme, ix. Vulture death and those relentless cleies.
1656. H. More, Antid. Ath., II. xi. (1712), 74. Some single cley in their [birds’] Foot.
1664. Power, Exp. Philos., I. 5. The Common Fly … four legs are cloven and arm’d with little clea’s or tallons.
1691. F. Brokesby, in Ray, Gloss. (E. D. S.), 8. In … [East Riding] for Straw they use Strea, and for Claws, Cleas.
1881. N. Lincolnsh. Gloss. (E. D. S.), Clea, claw.
b. Occasionally put for, or including, the foot or limb so armed.
1393. Gower, Conf., II. 39. A cat wold ete fishes Withoute weting of his clees.
a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Huon, cxx. 430. The Gryffon … toke Huon in his clees.
1594. Blundevil, Exerc., IV. xix. (ed. 7), 471. The fore part of Scorpio, whose fore cleaes do lie upon the two ballances.
2. A hoof; one of the parts of a cloven foot; = CLAW sb. 2.
c. 825. Vesp. Psalter lxviii. 32 [lxix. 31]. Cælf niowe hornas forðledende and clea.
c. 1000. Ags. Ps. (Thorpe), ibid. Swyþor þonne æðele cealf, þeah þe him upp-aga horn on heafde, oððe hearde cleo.
a. 1300. E. E. Psalter ibid. Kalf … Forthledand hornes and klees.
1382. Wyclif, ibid. Hornes bringende forth, and cles [1388 clecs]. Ibid., Gen. xlix. 17. The cleen of an hors. Ibid., Judg. v. 22. Cleas of hors.
c. 1420. Liber Cocorum (1862), 36. Tho cle of pygge.
1523. Fitzherb., Husb., § 47. Take that shepe, and loke betwene his clese.
1572. Mascall, Govt. Cattle, Oxen (1627), 28. Melt that on the fore hoofe or clee.
1579. Langham, Gard. Health (1633), 15. Pigs cleyes.
1797. Downing, Disord. Horn. Cattle, 90. And the clays will stride out one from the other wider than usual. Ibid., 118. The clees or horny part of the foot.
1879. Miss Jackson, Shropsh Word-bk., Claws, clees, cleys, the respective parts of a cloven-foot.
1881. Leicestersh. Gloss. (E. D. S.), Clay.
1884. Cheshire Gloss. (E. D. S.), Clay, cleä.
