Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CLAUD'ENT, a. [L. claudens; claudo, to shut.]

Shutting; confining; drawing together; as, a claudent muscle. [Little used.]

CLAUD'I-CANT, a.

Halting; limping. [Little used.]

CLAUD'I-CATE, v.i. [L. claudico, to limp, from claudus, lame.]

To halt or limp. [Little used, or not at all.]

CLAUD-I-CA'TION, n.

A halting or limping. [Little used.]

CLAUSE, n. [s as z. Fr. clause; L. clausura, from claudo, to shut; Gr. κλειω, κλειστος; W. claws; Eng. close; Sax. hlidan, to cover; hlid, a cover, a lid, – which see. Class Ld, No. 1, 8, 9. Literally, a close, or inclosure. Hence, that which is included, or contained, within certain limits.]

1. In language or grammar, a member of a period or sentence; a subdivision of a sentence, in which the words are inseparably connected with each other in sense, and can not, with propriety, be separated by a point; as, “there is reason to think that he afterward rose to favor, and obtained several honors civil and military.” In this sentence are two clauses.
2. An article in a contract or other writing; a distinct part of a contract, will, agreement, charter, commission, or other writing; a distinct stipulation, condition, proviso, grant, covenant, &c. – South.

CLAUS'TRAL, a. [L. claustrum, an inclosure, from claudo. See Clause.]

Relating to a cloister, or religious house; as, a claustral prior. – Ayliffe.

CLAUS'URE, n. [s as z. See Clause.]

1. The act of shutting up or confining; confinement. [Little used.] – Geddes.
2. In anatomy, an imperforated canal. – Coxe. Quincy.

CLAV'A-TED, a. [L. clava; Eng. a club; W. clwpa.]

1. Club-shaped; having the form of a club; growing gradually thicker toward the top, as certain parts of a plant. – Martyn.
2. Set with knobs. – Woodward.

CLAVE, v. [pret. of Cleave.]

CLAV'EL-LA-TED, a.

Clavellated ashes, potash and pearlash. – Coxe.

CLAV'I-A-RY, n. [L. clavis, a key; Gr. κλεις, contracted from κλειδοω; L. claudo.]

A scale of lines and spaces in music. – Encyc art. Clef.

CLAV'I-CHORD, n. [L. clavis, a key, and chorda, a string.]

A musical instrument of an oblong figure, of the nature of a spinet. The strings are muffled with small bits of fine woolen cloth, to soften the sounds; used in nunneries. [See Clarichord.] – Encyc.

CLAV'I-CLE, n. [L. clavicula, a tendril, that is a little key or fastener, from clavis, a key or lock.]

The collar bone. There are two clavicles, or channel bones, joined at one end to the scapula or shoulder bone, and at the other to the sternum or breast bone. – Quincy.

CLAV'I-CORN, n.

The name of a family of insects.

CLA'VI-ER, n. [L. clavis, a key.]

In music, an assemblage of all the keys of an organ or piano-forte, representing all the sounds used in melody and harmony.

CLAV'I-GER, n. [L. clavis, a key, and gero, to carry.]

One who keeps the keys of any place. – Ch. Relig. Appeal.

CLAW, n. [Sax. claw; G. klaue; D. klaauw; Dan. klov; Sw. klof, or klo.]

1. The sharp hooked nail of a beast, bird or other animal. Every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud, ye shall eat. – Deut. xiv. His nails were grown like bird's claws. – Dan. iv.
2. The whole foot of an animal armed with hooked nails.
3. The hand, in contempt.

CLAW, v.t. [Sax. clawen.]

1. To pull, tear or scratch with the nails. – Shak. South.
2. To scratch or tear in general; to tickle. – Shak. Hudibras.
3. To flatter. [Obs.] – Shak. To claw off or away, to scold or rail at. – L'Estrange. #2. In seamanship, to turn to windward and beat, to prevent falling on a lee shore. #3. In vulgar language, to scratch away; to get off or escape.

CLAW'BACK, n. [claw and back.]

One who flatters; a sycophant; a wheedler. – Jewel.

CLAW'ED, pp.

1. Scratched, pulled or torn with claws.
2. adj. Furnished with claws. – Grew.

CLAW'ING, ppr.

Pulling, tearing or scratching with claws or nails.

CLAW'LESS, a.

Destitute of claws. – Journ. of Science.

CLAY, n. [Sax. clæg; G. klei; D. klei; W. clai; Dan. klæg, viscous, sticky.]

1. The name of certain substances which are mixtures of silex and alumin, sometimes with lime, magnesia, alkali and metallic oxyds. A species of earths which are firmly coherent, weighty, compact and hard when dry, but stiff, viscid and ductile when moist, and smooth to the touch; not readily diffusible in water, and when mixed, not readily subsiding in it. They contract by heat. Clays absorb water greedily, and become soft, but are so tenacious as to be molded into any shape, and hence they are the materials of bricks and various vessels, domestic and chimical. – Encyc. Cleaveland.
2. In poetry and in Scripture, earth in general. – Donne. I also am formed out of the clay. – Job xxxiii.
3. In Scripture, clay is used to express frailty, liableness to decay and destruction. They that dwell in houses of clay. – Job iv.

CLAY, v.t.

1. To cover or manure with clay. – Mortimer.
2. To purify and whiten with clay, as sugar. – Edward's, W. Indies.

CLAY'-BUILT, a.

Built with clay.