dew-clawn.

1575 G. Gascoigne Noble Arte Venerie ix. 23 Some other haue taken marke by the hynder legges, by the dewclawes.

1580 C. Hollyband Treasurie French Tong Herigote, dew clawes.

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Controngle, the Deaw-claw, or water-claw of dogs.

1690 London Gaz. No. 2548/4 Lost..a little white Spaniel Dog.. with dew Claws upon the hind Feet.

1789 G. White Let. in Nat. Hist. Selborne 280 The bitch has a dew-claw on each hind leg; the dog has none.

1854 E. Mayhew Dogs (1862) 248 The dew-claws, as they are termed, grow high upon the inner side of the leg, nearer to the foot than the elbow.

1883 W. H. Flower in Encycl. Brit. XV. 438/1 (note) In domestic dogs a hallux is frequently developed, though often in a rudimentary condition, the phalanges and claw being suspended loosely in the skin, without direct connection with the other bones of the foot; it is called by dog-fanciers the ‘dew-claw.’

1884 Sat. Rev. 15 Nov. 626 The monks liked their dogs [St. Bernards] to have these double dew-claws, because they offered more resistance in soft, newly-fallen snow.

1575 G. Gascoigne Noble Arte Venerie xxxvi. 97 The shinne bones large, the dewclawes close in port..An Hart to hunt, as any man can seeke.

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Les gardes d'un sanglier, the deawclawes or hinder-clawes of a wild Bore.

1630 J. Taylor Wks. i. 93 What Necromanticke spells are Rut, Vault, Slot, Pores, and Entryes, Abatures, and Foyles, Frayenstockes, Frith and Fell, Layres, Dewclawes, and Dowlcets, drawing the Covert, Blemishes, Jewelling, Avaunt-laye, Allaye, Relaye, Foreloyning, Huntcownter, Hunt-change, Quarry, Reward, and a thousand more such Utopian fragments of confused Gibberish.

1678 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Dew-claw, among Hunters the Bones or little Nails behind the Foot of the Deer.

1575 G. Gascoigne Noble Arte Venerie iii. 8 Those whiche are well ioynted and dewclawed are best to make bloudhoundes.

1609 C. Butler Feminine Monarchie i. sig. A5 Hir rough and deuclawed feete apt to take hold at the first touch are in number six.

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Ergoté..hauing spurres; deaw-clawed.

1616 G. Markham tr. C. Estienne et al. Maison Rustique (rev. ed.) vii. xxii. 679 Round feete, strong cleys, high dewcleyd.

1647 N. Ward Simple Cobler Aggawam (new ed.) 11 (note) By Brownists I mean not Independents, but dew clawd Seperatists.

1657 S. Purchas Theatre Flying-insects i. iii. 7 Her feet are six, dew-clawed..full of joynts.

1818 J. Keats Endymion iv. 192 Sorrel untorn by the dew-claw'd stag.