clove

clove — noun

IPA/kləʊv/
KK[klˈov]IPA/kləʊv/
  • clovesingular
  • clovesplural

1. a single segment of a garlic bulb, covered by its own thin papery skin, that can

1.nounB1
Definition

a single segment of a garlic bulb, covered by its own thin papery skin, that can be separated from the bulb and cooked or eaten on its own

Example

The recipe calls for two cloves of garlic, finely chopped.

countable noun: clove of garlic

Ravi peeled a single clove and crushed it into the pan.

collocation: peel / crush a clove

Common collocations
  • clove of garlic
  • peel a clove
  • crush a clove
  • minced clove
  • press a clove

Grammar Patterns

countable noun: a clove of garlic

Usage Note

When referring to a single segment, clove is a countable noun used with the partitive phrase 'clove of garlic' — the garlic itself is an uncountable mass noun.

Common Mistakes

I chopped two garlics for the soup.
I chopped two cloves of garlic for the soup.
'garlic' is uncountable; use 'cloves of garlic' to count individual segments.

2. a dried flower bud from a tropical tree, dark brown and shaped like a small nail

2.nounB1
Definition

a dried flower bud from a tropical tree, dark brown and shaped like a small nail, that people cook with either in its whole form or ground into powder to add warm sweet flavour to food

Example

Theo added a pinch of ground clove to the pumpkin pie filling.

collocation: a pinch of ground clove

Whole cloves are often stuck into oranges to make a festive Christmas decoration.

passive: be stuck into [fruit]

Common collocations
  • ground clove
  • whole clove
  • clove oil
  • cinnamon and clove
  • a pinch of clove

Grammar Patterns

countable noun: a whole clove (individual dried bud)

uncountable noun: ground clove (powdered spice)

Usage Note

Countable when referring to individual dried buds ('add three whole cloves to the pot'); uncountable when referring to the ground spice ('add half a teaspoon of clove'). Not to be confused with the garlic clove (sense 1) — the two are unrelated in origin.

Common Mistakes

The recipe needs three cloves of garlic' (meaning the spice).
The recipe needs three whole cloves' (for the spice) or 'three cloves of garlic' (for the garlic segment).
Be specific: 'whole clove' or 'clove of garlic' to avoid confusion between the spice and the garlic segment.

clove — verb

IPA/kləʊv/
KK[klˈov]IPA/kloʊv/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

Clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice are all warm, aromatic spices used in sweet baking and holiday cooking. Clove stands out for its intensely strong, pungent-sweet flavour — a small amount goes a long way, and it is sold both whole (as small brown nail-shaped buds) and ground into a powder. Cinnamon is the mildest and most widely used of the four, with a gentle woody sweetness that pairs naturally with apples, sugar, and pastry. Nutmeg has a slightly nutty, earthy warmth and is best when grated fresh from whole seeds just before use. Allspice tastes remarkably like a blend of the other three (hence its name) but carries its own peppery undertone. Many recipes for pumpkin pie spice or mixed spice contain all four. Use whole cloves in mulled cider or studded into a baked ham; use ground clove sparingly — a quarter teaspoon in a batch of cookies is often enough.

clove ↗cinnamon ↗nutmegallspice

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • whole clove
  • clove of garlic

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglishProto-GermanicOld English

The word 'clove' has two separate historical origins that happen to share the same modern spelling. The garlic clove comes from Old English 'clufu', meaning a bulb or tuber, from the Proto-Germanic root *klubo — related to the verb 'cleave' (to split), because a garlic bulb naturally splits into segments. The spice clove comes from Old French 'clou de girofle', where 'clou' meant 'nail' (from Latin 'clavus'), referring to the dried bud's nail-like shape. These two words entered English through different routes but converged into the same spelling over time.