Clove
/kloʊv/noun
A dried aromatic flower bud used as a spice, or the tree that produces it.
Did you know?Cloves were prized in the ancient spice trade for their intense aroma and medicinal uses, and they traveled from the Maluku Islands to the Mediterranean through long, secretive trade networks.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gleyb-
“to stick, cleave”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*kleubaną
“to split, cleave”
Old English
English
clāf
“a clove or split piece”
Old French
Old French
clou
“nail; clove (the spice), via resemblance in shape”
Middle English
English
clove
“the spice clove, from Old French”
Modern English
English
clove
“the dried aromatic flower bud used as a spice”