"cle" meaning in Middle English

See cle in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /klɛ̝ː/ Forms: cles [plural], clen [plural], clea [alternative], clee [alternative], klee [alternative], cleo [alternative]
Etymology: Inherited from Old English clēa, from Proto-West Germanic *klawu, from Proto-Germanic *klawō. Doublet of clawe. Etymology templates: {{yesno||i|I}} I, {{glossary|Inherited}} Inherited, {{inh|enm|ang|clēa|||g=|g2=|g3=|id=|lit=|nocat=|pos=|sc=|sort=|tr=|ts=}} Old English clēa, {{inh+|enm|ang|clēa}} Inherited from Old English clēa, {{inh|enm|gmw-pro|*klawu}} Proto-West Germanic *klawu, {{inh|enm|gem-pro|*klawō}} Proto-Germanic *klawō, {{doublet|enm|clawe}} Doublet of clawe Head templates: {{head|enm|noun|g=|g2=|g3=|head=|sort=}} cle, {{enm-noun|cles|pl2=clen}} cle (plural cles or clen)
  1. A claw; a horny nail on the feet of certain animals.
    Sense id: en-cle-enm-noun-823zFm33 Categories (other): Animal body parts Disambiguation of Animal body parts: 34 36 14 16
  2. A hoof; a horny toe on the feet of equids.
    Sense id: en-cle-enm-noun-8vC1bX0t Categories (other): Animal body parts Disambiguation of Animal body parts: 34 36 14 16
  3. (rare) A claw-shaped implement or point. Tags: rare
    Sense id: en-cle-enm-noun-6shWwYod Categories (other): Animal body parts Disambiguation of Animal body parts: 34 36 14 16
  4. (rare, in the plural) Possession; control; clutches. Tags: in-plural, rare
    Sense id: en-cle-enm-noun-wPF1Ln2I Categories (other): Animal body parts Disambiguation of Animal body parts: 34 36 14 16
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: clawe

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "English",
      "lang_code": "en",
      "tags": [
        "dialectal"
      ],
      "word": "cley"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "",
        "2": "i",
        "3": "I"
      },
      "expansion": "I",
      "name": "yesno"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "Inherited"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited",
      "name": "glossary"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "clēa",
        "4": "",
        "5": "",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "id": "",
        "lit": "",
        "nocat": "",
        "pos": "",
        "sc": "",
        "sort": "",
        "tr": "",
        "ts": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Old English clēa",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "clēa"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited from Old English clēa",
      "name": "inh+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*klawu"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *klawu",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*klawō"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *klawō",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "clawe"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of clawe",
      "name": "doublet"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Inherited from Old English clēa, from Proto-West Germanic *klawu, from Proto-Germanic *klawō. Doublet of clawe.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "cles",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "clen",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "clea",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "clee",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "klee",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "cleo",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "noun",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "cle",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "cles",
        "pl2": "clen"
      },
      "expansion": "cle (plural cles or clen)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "34 36 14 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Animal body parts",
          "orig": "enm:Animal body parts",
          "parents": [
            "Body parts",
            "Anatomy"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A claw; a horny nail on the feet of certain animals."
      ],
      "id": "en-cle-enm-noun-823zFm33",
      "links": [
        [
          "claw",
          "claw"
        ],
        [
          "horny",
          "horny"
        ],
        [
          "nail",
          "nail"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "34 36 14 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Animal body parts",
          "orig": "enm:Animal body parts",
          "parents": [
            "Body parts",
            "Anatomy"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A hoof; a horny toe on the feet of equids."
      ],
      "id": "en-cle-enm-noun-8vC1bX0t",
      "links": [
        [
          "hoof",
          "hoof"
        ],
        [
          "horny",
          "horny"
        ],
        [
          "toe",
          "toe"
        ],
        [
          "equid",
          "equid"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "34 36 14 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Animal body parts",
          "orig": "enm:Animal body parts",
          "parents": [
            "Body parts",
            "Anatomy"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A claw-shaped implement or point."
      ],
      "id": "en-cle-enm-noun-6shWwYod",
      "links": [
        [
          "claw",
          "claw"
        ],
        [
          "implement",
          "implement"
        ],
        [
          "point",
          "point"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) A claw-shaped implement or point."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "34 36 14 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Animal body parts",
          "orig": "enm:Animal body parts",
          "parents": [
            "Body parts",
            "Anatomy"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Possession; control; clutches."
      ],
      "id": "en-cle-enm-noun-wPF1Ln2I",
      "links": [
        [
          "Possession",
          "possession"
        ],
        [
          "control",
          "control"
        ],
        [
          "clutches",
          "clutches"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare, in the plural) Possession; control; clutches."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "in-plural",
        "rare"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/klɛ̝ː/"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "clawe"
    }
  ],
  "word": "cle"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "Middle English doublets",
    "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
    "Middle English lemmas",
    "Middle English nouns",
    "Middle English terms derived from Old English",
    "Middle English terms derived from Proto-Germanic",
    "Middle English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic",
    "Middle English terms inherited from Old English",
    "Middle English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic",
    "Middle English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic",
    "Middle English weak nouns",
    "Pages with 2 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "enm:Animal body parts"
  ],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "English",
      "lang_code": "en",
      "tags": [
        "dialectal"
      ],
      "word": "cley"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "",
        "2": "i",
        "3": "I"
      },
      "expansion": "I",
      "name": "yesno"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "Inherited"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited",
      "name": "glossary"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "clēa",
        "4": "",
        "5": "",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "id": "",
        "lit": "",
        "nocat": "",
        "pos": "",
        "sc": "",
        "sort": "",
        "tr": "",
        "ts": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Old English clēa",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "clēa"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited from Old English clēa",
      "name": "inh+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*klawu"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *klawu",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*klawō"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *klawō",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "clawe"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of clawe",
      "name": "doublet"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Inherited from Old English clēa, from Proto-West Germanic *klawu, from Proto-Germanic *klawō. Doublet of clawe.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "cles",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "clen",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "clea",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "clee",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "klee",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "cleo",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "noun",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "cle",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "cles",
        "pl2": "clen"
      },
      "expansion": "cle (plural cles or clen)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A claw; a horny nail on the feet of certain animals."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "claw",
          "claw"
        ],
        [
          "horny",
          "horny"
        ],
        [
          "nail",
          "nail"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A hoof; a horny toe on the feet of equids."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "hoof",
          "hoof"
        ],
        [
          "horny",
          "horny"
        ],
        [
          "toe",
          "toe"
        ],
        [
          "equid",
          "equid"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Middle English terms with rare senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A claw-shaped implement or point."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "claw",
          "claw"
        ],
        [
          "implement",
          "implement"
        ],
        [
          "point",
          "point"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) A claw-shaped implement or point."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Middle English terms with rare senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Possession; control; clutches."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Possession",
          "possession"
        ],
        [
          "control",
          "control"
        ],
        [
          "clutches",
          "clutches"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare, in the plural) Possession; control; clutches."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "in-plural",
        "rare"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/klɛ̝ː/"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "clawe"
    }
  ],
  "word": "cle"
}

Download raw JSONL data for cle meaning in Middle English (3.1kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable Middle English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-07-20 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-07-06 using wiktextract (b70b34c and e7887d5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.