† clee Obs. exc. dial.
Forms: 1 cléa, cléo, 3 cleu, 4 klee, 4–5 cle, 4–6 (9 dial.) clee, 4–7 (9 dial.) clea, 5–7 (9 dial.) cley, 7 cleye, cleie, 8–9 dial. clay. pl. 1 cléo, 4–5 cleon, cleen, cleos, 4– clees, 4–5 cles, 4, 7 cleas, 6 cleyse, cleaze, cleaes, 6–7 clese, cleese, 6– cleyes, cleys.
[Another form of the n. claw, representing the original OE. form of the nominative, cléa (cléo); while claw represents the oblique cases (clawe, etc.), and the later nominative clawu reconstructed on these. See claw.
Cléa occurs in Vesp. Ps., and, with dat. pl. cléam, also in (? WS.) Alexander's Epistle to Aristotle 375, 378; a dat. pl. clám in Phœnix 277 may possibly be for cléam. Cléo occurs only in poetry: Thorpe's Ps. (not WS.). Cléa represented prehist. clau, claw- or clǽw-, from original *klawâ- or *klæ̂wâ (cf. wéa, péa: Sievers Ags. Gram. §112). Of cléo the history is not quite clear: it might be a northern form corresponding to cléa (from clǽw-), as déd to dǽd (see Sievers loc. cit.). It is the normal source of ME. cleu, cle, clee; ME. clea may represent OE. cléa; the later spelling cley, clay is unexplained.]
1. = claw n. 1.
| c 1250 Meid Maregrete xlvi, Anoþer deuel..E heuede eien on is cleu . ant eken on is to. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. i. 172 A cat..wol..To hur clees [v.r. cleos, cleon, clawes] clawen ows. 1482 Monk of Evesham xxxiii. (Arb.) 76 With her bylle and scharpe cleys. 1523 Fitzherb. Surv. xv. (1539) 33 The cuttynge of the doggis cleyse. 1575 Turberv. Falconrie 349 Take the clee of a bittor. 1581 J. Studley Seneca's Hercules Œt. 206 b, Cralling crab..With crooking cleaze. a 1637 B. Jonson Underwoods, Eupheme ix, Vulture death and those relentless cleies. 1656 H. More Antid. Ath. ii. xi. (1712) 74 Some single cley in their [birds'] Foot. 1664 Power Exp. Philos. i. 5 The Common Fly..four legs are cloven and arm'd with little clea's or tallons. 1691 F. Brokesby in Ray Gloss. (E.D.S.) 8 In..[East Riding] for Straw they use Strea, and for Claws, Cleas. 1881 N. Lincolnsh. Gloss. (E.D.S.), Clea, claw. |
b. Occasionally put for, or including, the foot or limb so armed.
| 1393 Gower Conf. II. 39 A cat wold ete fishes Withoute weting of his clees. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon cxx. 430 The Gryffon..toke Huon in his clees. 1594 Blundevil Exerc. iv. xix. (ed. 7) 471 The fore part of Scorpio, whose fore cleaes do lie upon the two ballances. |
2. A hoof; one of the parts of a cloven foot; = claw n. 2.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter lxviii. 32 [lxix. 31] Cælf niowe hornas forðledende and clea. c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Thorpe) ibid., Swyþor þonne æðele cealf, þeah þe him upp-aga horn on heafde, oððe hearde cleo. a 1300 E.E. Psalter ibid., Kalf..Forthledand hornes and klees. 1382 Wyclif ibid., Hornes bringende forth, and cles [1388 clees]. ― Gen. xlix. 17 The cleen of an hors. ― Judg. v. 22 Cleas of hors. c 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 36 Tho cle of pygge. 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §47 Take that shepe, and loke betwene his clese. 1572 L. Mascall Govt. Cattle, Oxen (1627) 28 Melt that on the fore hoofe or clee. 1579 Langham Gard. Health (1633) 15 Pigs cleyes. 1797 Downing Disord. Horn. Cattle 90 And the clays will stride out one from the other wider than usual. Ibid. 118 The clees or horny part of the foot. 1879 G. F. Jackson Shropsh. Word-bk., Claws, clees, cleys, the respective parts of a cloven-foot. 1881 Leicestersh. Gloss. (E.D.S.), Clay. 1884 Cheshire Gloss. (E.D.S.), Clay, cleä. |