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Dictionary:
claw (klô)  |
To scratch, dig, tear, or pull with or as if with claws.
[Middle English clawe, from Old English clawu.]
clawed clawed adj.| US Military Dictionary: claw |
v. (of a sailing ship) beat to windward: the ability to claw off a lee shore.
See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.
| Veterinary Dictionary: claw |
1. integumentary appendages at the extremities of the digits of carnivores and some other animals. Because of their sharp ends they are effective in their role of holding and tearing prey. They are sheathed by the action of elastic ligaments unless the flexor muscles are tensed, but can be actively retracted in Felidae, except the cheetah.
2. an alternative name for a digit in cloven-footed animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.
3. metal manifold in a milking machine cluster which connects the teat cups and the milk line; carries the air admission hole which allows the controlled entry of air from the environment to the vacuum unit of the milking machine.
| Gardener's Dictionary: claw |
A narrow place at the base of a petal, found in some kinds of irises, roses, pinks, and other flowers. Such petals are said to be clawed.
| Word Tutor: claw |
Bears have a long curving claw on each toe of their four feet.
| Wikipedia: Claw |
A claw is a curved, pointed appendage, found at the end of a toe or finger in most mammals, birds, and some reptiles. Somewhat similar fine hooked structures are found in arthropods such as beetles and spiders, at the end of the leg or tarsus for gripping a surface as the creature walks. However, the word "claws" is most often used in reference to an invertebrate. For example, the crab's and lobster's claws or pincers, or more formally, their "chelae".
A claw is made of hard protein called keratin. Claws are used to catch and hold prey in carnivorous mammals such as cats and dogs, but may also be used for such purposes as digging, climbing trees, etc, in those and other species.
Similar appendages which are flat and do not come to a sharp point are called nails instead.
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The correct term for an arthropod's 'claw' is a chela (plural chelae). Legs bearing a chela are called chelipeds. Chelae are also called pincers.
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In tetrapods, claws are made of keratin and consist of two layers. The unguis is the harder external layer, which consists of keratin fibers arranged perpendicular to the direction of growth and in layers at an oblique angle. The subunguis is the softer, flaky underside layer whose grain is parallel to the direction of growth. The claw grows outward from the nail matrix at the base of the unguis and the subunguis grows thicker while travelling across the nail bed. The unguis grows outward faster than the subunguis to produce a curve and the thinner sides of the claw wear away faster than their thicker middle, producing a more or less sharp point. Tetrapods use their claws in many ways, commonly to grasp or kill prey, to dig and to climb and hang.
A talon is the claw of a bird of prey, its primary hunting tool. The talons are very important; without them, most birds would not be able to catch their food.
A nail is homologous to a claw but is flatter and has a curved edge instead of a point. A nail that is big enough to bear weight is called a 'hoof' (see also Horse hoof. However, one side of the cloven-hoof of artiodactyl ungulates may also be called a claw).
Every so often, the growth of claws stops and restarts, as does hair. In hair, this results in the hair falling out and being replaced by a new one. In claws, this results in an abscission layer, and the old segment breaks off. This process takes several months for human thumbnails. Cats are often seen working old unguis layers off on wood or on boards made for the purpose. Ungulates' hooves wear or self-trim by ground contact. Domesticated equids (horses, donkeys and mules) usually need regular trimming by a farrier, as a consequence of reduced activity on hard ground.
Many predatory mammals have protractile (protractable) claws that can partially hide inside the animal's paw, especially the Felidae, where almost all of its members have fully protractible claws.
A primate's nail consists of the unguis alone; the subunguis has disappeared. Much like the tail, the claw in apes is no longer necessary. However, in some individuals the subunguis has redeveloped to form a claw-like structure. These individuals do not have actual claws; instead the unguis appears normal with the addition of a thick growth of subunguis. However, some lemurs do possess toilet-claws.
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| Translations: Claw |
Dansk (Danish)
n. - klo, negl, krabbe
v. tr. - gribe, kradse, flå
v. intr. - fægte vildt om sig
idioms:
Nederlands (Dutch)
klauw, poot, schaar (van schelpdier), grijper, krabben, grijpen
Français (French)
n. - (Zool) griffe, serre, pince (de crabe), (fig) patte, arrache-clou, (Tech) pied-de biche
v. tr. - griffer, égratigner, déchirer (qch) avec ses serres, (fig) arracher (les yeux de qn), s'en sortir par tous les moyens
v. intr. - déchirer avec ses serres
idioms:
Deutsch (German)
n. - Klaue, Kralle
v. - (zer)kratzen, krallen
idioms:
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - νύχι (αρπακτικού), αρπάγη, χηλή, δαγκάνα, διχαλωτός λοστός
v. - σχίζω με τα νύχια, γδέρνω, αρπάζω (με τα νύχια)
idioms:
idioms:
Português (Portuguese)
n. - garra (f), pinça (f), policial (m) (gír.)
v. - agarrar, dilacerar, lisonjear
idioms:
Русский (Russian)
коготь, клешня
idioms:
Español (Spanish)
n. - garra, zarpa, garfio
v. tr. - agarrar, arañar, raspar
v. intr. - agarrarse, arañarse, rasparse
idioms:
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - klo, gripare (film.), jordluckrare
v. - klösa, riva/rycka till sig
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
爪, 抓伤, 钩, 用爪子抓, 费力地夺回
idioms:
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 爪, 抓傷, 鉤
v. tr. - 用爪子抓, 費力地奪回
v. intr. - 用爪子抓
idioms:
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 갈고리 발톱, 마수, 집게발
v. tr. - 움켜잡다, 긁어서 만들다
v. intr. - 발톱으로 할퀴다, 손으로 더듬다
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - かぎづめ, かぎづめ状のもの, くぎ抜き, 爪, 鉤つめ
v. - かぎづめでひっかく
idioms:
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) مخلب (فعل) خدش
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - צבת-הסרטן, טופר, ציפורן, טלף, מכשיר לאחיזה
v. tr. - קרע, תפס/משך בציפורניים, שרט
v. intr. - תפס/משך בציפורנייים, שרט
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Did you mean: claw, Eight Deer Jaguar Claw, Thomas Claw, Claw (Action IBM PC Compatible Game), CLAW (abbreviation), Claw (comics), Claw (piercing), Claw (song), Claw (juggling) More...
 | unguicula |
| onychodystrophy |
| onychoid |
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| US Military Dictionary. The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Gardener's Dictionary. Taylor's Dictionary for Gardeners, by Frances Tenenbaum. Copyright © 1997 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved. eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; free trial. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Claw". Read more |
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