Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CLOVE, n.² [Sax. clufe; Fr. clou; Sp. clavo; Port. cravo; from L. clavus, a nail; so called from its resemblance to a nail. So in D. kruidnagel, herb-nail, or spice-nail.]

1. A very pungent aromatic spice, the flower of the clove-tree, Caryophyllus, a native of the Molucca isles. The tree grows to the size of the laurel, and its bark resembles that of the olive. No verdure is seen under it. At the extremities of its branches are produced vast numbers of flowers, which are at first white, then green, and at last red and hard. These are called cloves. – Encyc.
2. [from cleave.] The parts into which garlic separates, when the outer skin is removed. – Tate.
3. A certain weight; seven pounds of wool; eight pounds of cheese or butter. [Not used in America.]