claviform
Syllables: cla·vi·form/ˈklævɪfɔːm/US/ˈklævɪˌfɔɹm/
claviform adjective: larger at the tip than at the base; club-shaped.
Adjective (1)
claviform (comparative more claviform, superlative most claviform)
- 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.1805, Robert Jameson, “Particular Generic External Characters”, in A Treatise on the External Characters of Minerals, Edinburgh: […] University Press for Bell & Bradfute, Guthrie & Tait, and...
- Two other claviform tentacula arise from the anterior superior part of the mantle [of sea slugs of the genus Doris].1831, [Georges] Cuvier, P[ierre] A[ndré] Latreille, “Second Great Division of the Animal Kingdom. Animalia Mollusca.”, in H[enry] M’Murtrie, transl., The Animal Kingdom Arranged in Conformity with...
Noun
claviform (plural claviforms)
- 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...1997, Paul G. Bahn, Jean Vertut, “What was Depicted?”, in Journey through the Ice Age, Berkeley; Los Angeles, Calif.: University of California Press, →ISBN, page 164, column 2
- In the early days of research, the images were often read very literally, and this was certainly taken to extremes – the classic example, of course, is the ‘signs’ in Ice Age cave art which the first researchers assumed to represent actual objects, and gave them names accordingly – for example...2006, Paul G. Bahn, “Myths and Meanings”, in Prehistoric Rock Art: Polemics and Progress […], Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, published 2010, →ISBN, page 32
Adjective (2)
claviform (comparative more claviform, superlative most claviform)
- Shaped like a nail (“a metallic spike-shaped fastener”).
- CLAVOPORA Busk, 1874. Colony small, erect, coriaceous, claviform (nail-shaped), with two well differentiated parts: [...]1988, M. Zabala, P. Maluquer, Illustrated Keys for the Classification of Mediterranean Bryozoa (Treballs del Museu de Zoologia; no. 4), Barcelona: Museu de Zoologia, Ajuntament de Barcelona, →ISBN...
Adjective (3)
claviform (comparative more claviform, superlative most claviform)
- 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'.1961, Alan Houghton Brodrick, Casual Change, London: Hutchinson, →OCLC, page 159
- [André] Leroi-Gourhan identifies the following male signs: hook, single and double bars, dots and rows of dots. The bars derive from the phallus and the dots – we are convinced – stand for drops of sperm. He identifies the following female signs: triangles, rectangles, oval, derived from vulva and...2008, Bruno Barbatti, “Twig, Feather”, in Alan J. Bridgman, transl., edited by Ahmed-Chaouki Rafif, Berber Carpets of Morocco: The Symbols: Origin and Meaning, Courbevoie, Paris: ACR Édition...
claviform meaning in Bengali
claviform in Bengali
- গোড়ার চেয়ে ডগায় বড়, প্রতীক, পেরেকের মতো আকৃতির, চাবির আকৃতির
Examples of claviform in a sentence
- They vary in shape from filiform (thread-shaped) or claviform (club-shaped) to capitate (with a terminal knob) or moniliform (with a series of knobs).1986, Wolfgang Sterrer, Christiane Schoepfer-Sterrer, editors, Marine Fauna and Flora of Bermuda: A Systematic Guide to the Identification...
- Solanum contumazaense [...] Style 10–11 mm long, exerted 4 mm, sparsely papillose below center; stigma claviform, light green.2004 December, C[arlos] M[anuel] Ochoa, “Series Conicibaccata”, in Donald Ugent, transl., The Potatoes of South America: Peru: (Part I: The...
- 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'!1997, Paul G. Bahn, Jean Vertut, “What was Depicted?”, in Journey through the Ice Age, Berkeley; Los Angeles, Calif.: University of...
- There is also a faded red painting of a claviform (a thick curved line with a raised bump or point in the middle) that looks awfully similar to those found at a few other sites in northern Spain.2016, Genevieve von Petzinger, “Signs across the Ages: The Many Styles of the Oldest Art”, in The First Signs: Unlocking the Mysteries of...
Synonyms of claviform
Forms of claviform
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more claviform |
| superlative | most claviform |
| Noun | |
| plural | claviforms |
Origin of claviform
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. By surface analysis, clav(a) + -i- + form. The noun is probably derived from the adjective.
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.
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.
Questions about claviform
- What does claviform mean?
- Claviform means larger at the tip than at the base; club-shaped.
- What is claviform in Bengali?
- Claviform in Bengali is গোড়ার চেয়ে ডগায় বড়, প্রতীক, পেরেকের মতো আকৃতির. See Claviform meaning in Bengali.
- How do you use claviform in a sentence?
- They vary in shape from filiform (thread-shaped) or claviform (club-shaped) to capitate (with a terminal knob) or moniliform (with a series of knobs).
- What part of speech is claviform?
- Claviform can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce claviform?
- Claviform is pronounced /ˈklævɪfɔːm/ (UK).
Words near claviform in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: claviform (page history and authors); claviform (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-claviform.wav.
Cite this entry: “claviform.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/claviform. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.