clove
clove — noun
1. a single segment of a garlic bulb, covered by its own thin papery skin, that can
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
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
To prepare the garlic, separate the bulb into individual cloves before slicing.
A clove of garlic can be sliced thin and roasted with vegetables.
Beatriz pressed each clove with the flat side of a knife to remove the skin.
文法句型
countable noun: a clove of garlic
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
2. a dried flower bud from a tropical tree, dark brown and shaped like a small nail
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
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]
Clove oil is sometimes used to relieve tooth pain in traditional remedies.
These cookies are flavored with cinnamon and clove.
A single clove can add strong flavour to a pot of hot apple cider.
文法句型
countable noun: a whole clove (individual dried bud)
uncountable noun: ground clove (powdered spice)
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
clove — verb
1. the literary or archaic past tense form of the verb cleave, used to describe spl
the literary or archaic past tense form of the verb cleave, used to describe splitting something apart forcefully or sticking closely to something such as a belief or tradition
The warrior clove the enemy's shield in two with a heavy axe.
literary register: 'clove in two'
The ship clove through the dark waves as it sailed north.
literary: 'clove through [something]'
Grandfather Kofi clove to his family's old traditions despite pressure from younger villagers.
The ancient sword clove the air with a sharp whistling sound.
文法句型
transitive: clove + noun phrase + in two/into pieces
intransitive: clove + through + noun phrase
intransitive: clove + to + noun phrase
用法筆記
This form is found mainly in older literature, poetry, or deliberate archaism. In modern English, the past tense 'cleaved' is preferred for both the 'split' and 'stick' meanings of the verb cleave.