What does "claves" mean?

A percussion instrument, consisting of two sticks or blocks, in which one is struck against the other in order to produce a sound.

What is a synonym for "claves"?

Common synonyms include: cleavers, cleavers.

//kleɪvz// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A percussion instrument, consisting of two sticks or blocks, in which one is struck against the other in order to produce a sound. plural, plural-normally
2
plural of clavis form-of, plural

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin American Spanish claves (plural), from Latin clāvis (“a key; a lever, bar”).

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.