| 释义 |
claw
I. \ˈklȯ\ noun
(-s)
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English clawe, from Old English clawu, alteration of clēa, gen. dative accusative clawe; akin to Old High German klāwa, chlōa claw, Old Norse klō, Old English cliewen sphere, ball, ball of yarn — more at clew
1. : a sharp nail on the toe of an animal especially when such a nail is slender and curved (as that of a bird or cat); also : either lateral half of the hoof of a cloven-footed mammal — see cock illustration
2. : any of various similar sharp curved processes especially if at the end of a limb (as those on the legs of insects); sometimes : the limb if it ends in such a process
3. : one of the pincerlike organs terminating certain limbs of some arthropods (as the lobsters and scorpions)
4. : something shaped like or grasping in a way felt to suggest an animal's claw: as
a. : the curved and forked end of a hammer or nail puller
b. : the slender projecting part of a jewelry setting that holds a stone
c. : the slender prolonged basal portion of certain petals (as in the pink) — compare blade 1c(2)
d. : a pronged grasp at the end of a derrick hoist
e. : a gardening tool for loosening soil
f. : a part of the intermittent mechanism of a motion-picture camera, printer, or projector that engages the perforations of and moves the film
5. : a wound from or as if from a claw
II. verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
Etymology: Middle English clawen, from Old English clawan, clawian; akin to Middle Dutch klouwen, Old High German klāwēn; denominative from the root of English claw (I)
transitive verb
1. : to pull, tear, scratch, scrape, seize, clutch, or dig with or as if with claws or nails
2. chiefly Scotland : to scratch softly especially in order to relieve itching or uneasiness
3. : to force forward or upward as if with claws
< clawed his way to the top of the mountain >
or at the expense of others
< claw his way to the top of his profession >
4. : to attack spitefully, treacherously, or unexpectedly (as with a veiled insult)
< an actress clawing her rival >
intransitive verb
1. : to scrape, scratch, dig, or pull with a claw or with the hand as a claw
2. : to grope or clutch in desperation or panic
< clawing for the door handle >
3. of a boat : to work to windward (as from a lee shore) |