Short form of CLOVEN, formerly frequent, still occas. in verse; rarely as adj.
c. 1400. Rom. Rose, 550. A clove chinne eke had she.
Also in certain Combs., as † clove-board (in 7 cloe-, cloven) = CLAPBOARD (cf. the form claw-board); clove-footed (see CLOVEN-FOOTED); † clove-hammer (in 7 cloe-), a hammer with the head cloven on one side into two claws for extracting nails (cf. the form CLAW-HAMMER); clove-hook, an iron clasp in two parts that move on the same pivot and overlap each other, used for bending chain-sheets to the clews of sails, etc. Also CLOVE-HITCH.
1561. in Rogers, Agric. & Prices, II. 414. *Clove-board.
1565. Act 8 Eliz., c. 9 § 1. The Cloveboard and Stuff whereof the said Vessels and the Hoops thereof should be made.
1666. [see CLOEBOARD].
1670. R. Coke, Disc. Trade, 21. This Vigilant Queen, taking notice of the great decay of Timber occasioned by converting the same into cloven board.
1887. Rogers, Agric. & Prices, V. 523. There are at least twelve entries of clove, clap, or claw board, generally bought for the navy.
1480. Wardr. Acc. Edw. IV. (1830), 139. *Clovehamer, j.
1623. [see CLOE-HAMMER].
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., *Clove-hook, = clasp-hook.
Clove, pa. t. of CLEAVE v.
