What does "claviform" mean?
An image or symbol which is club-shaped, that is, larger at the tip than at the base.
Claviform
/ˈklævɪfɔːm/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An image or symbol which is club-shaped, that is, larger at the tip than at the base.
- Grammar: claviform is listed as adj, noun.
- Usage evidence: Claviform is the reverse of stalactitic; it is composed of club-shaped parallel rods which adhere by their thin extremities. Examples, brown and black hæmatite.
How to use "claviform"
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Source and review context
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 An image or symbol which is club-shaped, that is, larger at the tip than at the base.
"The claviform comprises a vertical line with a bulge at one side; but unlike the buttocks on the stylized females, the bulge is usually on the middle or the upper half of the 'sign'! It has been suggested that the 'upper bulge' on a claviform instead represents breasts, but this is based on supposedly stylized statuettes from Dolni Vestonice and elsewhere, comprising a rod with two little lumps near the top, and thus on analogies with sites even further away in space and time from the claviforms."
Adjective
- 1 Larger at the tip than at the base; club-shaped.
"Claviform is the reverse of stalactitic; it is composed of club-shaped parallel rods which adhere by their thin extremities. Examples, brown and black hæmatite."
- 2 Shaped like a nail (“a metallic spike-shaped fastener”).
"CLAVOPORA Busk, 1874. Colony small, erect, coriaceous, claviform (nail-shaped), with two well differentiated parts: [...]"
- 3 Key-shaped.
"The signs can be sorted out into two main classes: those which are paired or 'coupled' [...] and those which stand alone—mostly tectiform (roof-shaped) and claviform (key-shaped). There seems to be a conventional arrangement whereby certain signs are placed at the beginning of a 'sanctuary'."
Example
"Claviform is the reverse of stalactitic; it is composed of club-shaped parallel rods which adhere by their thin extremities. Examples, brown and black hæmatite."
Common questions
How do you use "claviform" in a sentence?
Claviform is the reverse of stalactitic; it is composed of club-shaped parallel rods which adhere by their thin extremities. Examples, brown and black hæmatite.
How do you pronounce "claviform"?
Pronounced /ˈklævɪfɔːm/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
The adjective is derived from Latin clāvifōrmis (“club-shaped, claviform”), from Latin clāva (“a club”) (from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂- (“to beat; to break”)) + -fōrmis (suffix meaning ‘having the form of’) (equivalent to -form, -iform). The English word is cognate with French claviforme. The noun is probably derived from the adjective.
Etymology 2
From Latin clāvifōrmis (“nail-shaped, claviform”) (attested since 1677), from Latin clāvus (“a nail (metal spike)”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kleh₂w- (“a crook, hook; a peg”), + -fōrmis (suffix meaning ‘having the form of’), equivalent to -form, -iform.
Etymology 3
From or cognate to Latin clāvifōrmis (“key-shaped, claviform”) (documented since at least 1844), from Latin clāvis (“key”) (either from Ancient Greek κλείς (kleís, “something used to lock and unlock, a bar, bolt, key”), or directly from its etymon Proto-Indo-European *(s)kleh₂w- (“a crook, hook; a peg”)) + -fōrmis (suffix meaning ‘having the form of’), equivalent to -form, -iform.