clave

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/kleɪv/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(klāv; Mus. klä′vā)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
clave1  (klāv),USA pronunciation v. [Archaic.]
  1. pt. of cleave. 

cla•ve2  (klä′vā),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Music and Danceone of a pair of wooden sticks or blocks that are held one in each hand and are struck together to accompany music and dancing.
  • Latin clāvis key
  • American Spanish, Spanish: keystone 1925–30

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
clave / kleɪv klɑːv/
  1. one of a pair of hardwood sticks struck together to make a hollow sound, esp to mark the beat of Latin-American dance music
Etymology: 20th Century: from American Spanish, from Latin clavis key
clave / kleɪv/

  1. a past tense of cleave1
'clave' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
autoclave - cleave - conclave - exclave

Forum discussions with the word(s) "clave" in the title:


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