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countable and uncountable, plural cloves
(uncountable, countable) A very pungent aromatic spice, the unexpanded flower bud of the clove tree. examples
(countable) A clove tree, of the species Syzygium aromaticum (syn. Caryophyllus aromaticus), native to the Moluccas (Indonesian islands), which produces the spice. examples
(countable) An old English measure of weight, containing 7 pounds (3.2 kg), i.e. half a stone. quotations examples
Seven pounds make a clove, 2 cloves a stone, 2 stone a tod 6+1⁄2 tods a wey, 2 weys a sack, 12 sacks a last. The 'Pathway' points out the etymology of the word cloves; it calls them ' claves or nails.' It is to be observed here that a sack is 13 tods, and a tod 28 pounds, so that the sack is 364 pounds.
1843, The Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, page 202
By a statute of 9 Hen. VI. it was ordained that the wey of cheese should contain 32 cloves of 7 lbs. each, i.e. 224 lbs., or 2 cwts.
1866, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, volume 1, page 169
plural cloves
(horticulture, cooking) One of the small bulbs formed in the axils of the scales of a large bulb. examples
simple past of cleave examples
(geography) A narrow valley with steep sides, used in areas of North America first settled by the Dutch examples