Main Entry: ¹claw

Pronunciation: \ˈklȯ\

Function: noun

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: Middle English clawe, from Old English clawu hoof, claw; akin to Old Norse klō claw, and probably to Old English cliewen ball — more at clew

Date: before 12th century

1 : a sharp usually slender and curved nail on the toe of an animal
2 : any of various sharp curved processes especially at the end of a limb (as of an insect); also : a limb ending in such a process
3 : one of the pincerlike organs terminating some limbs of various arthropods (as a lobster or scorpion)
4 : something that resembles a claw; specifically : the forked end of a tool (as a hammer)

— clawed \ˈklȯd\ adjective

— claw·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective