Dictionary Definition
claw
Noun
1 sharp curved horny process on the toe of a bird
or some mammals or reptiles
2 a mechanical device that is curved or bent to
suspend or hold or pull something [syn: hook]
3 a structure like a pincer on the limb of a
crustacean or other arthropods [syn: chela, nipper, pincer]
4 a bird's foot that has claws
Verb
1 move as if by clawing, seizing, or digging;
"They clawed their way to the top of the mountain"
2 clutch as if in panic; "She clawed the
doorknob"
3 scratch, scrape, pull, or dig with claws or
nails
4 attack as if with claws; "The politician clawed
his rival"
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Pronunciation
- IPA:/klɔ/
Noun
Derived terms
Translations
curved horny nail
pincer of a crustacean
mechanical device for gripping
- ttbc Albanian: kthetër
- ttbc Arabic:
- ttbc Bulgarian: нокът (nokăt)
- ttbc Catalan: urpa
- ttbc Esperanto: ungo
- ttbc Estonian: küüs, küünis
- ttbc Faroese: klógv
- ttbc French: griffe (1), pince (2)
- ttbc Galician: spòg
- ttbc Hebrew: טֹפֶר
- ttbc Hindi: पञ्जा (pa.njā), पंजा (pa.njā)
- ttbc Hungarian: karom, köröm
- ttbc Indonesian: cakar
- ttbc Irish: crág, crúb
- ttbc Italian: artiglio, unghia, pinza, zampa, branca
- ttbc Japanese: 爪 (つめ) (tsume)
- ttbc Korean: 발톱 (baltob, -top)
- ttbc Latvian: nags
- ttbc Lithuanian: nagas
- ttbc Norwegian: kloa
- ttbc Old English: clawu, clea
- ttbc Papiamentu: pata
- ttbc Persian: ,
- ttbc Polish: pazur, łapa
- ttbc Romanian: gheară , cleşte
- ttbc Sardinian: farrànca, ungra, ungredda
- ttbc Slovak: čeľusť, dráp
- ttbc Spanish: garra
- ttbc Swahili: kucha
- ttbc Swedish: klo
- ttbc Tagalog: kuko
- ttbc Thai: กรงเล็บ (grong lép)
- ttbc Turkish: pençe
- ttbc Ukrainian: кіготь (kígot')
- ttbc Urdu: (panja)
- ttbc Uyghur: (bemelchek)
- ttbc Vietnamese: vuốt, càng
- ttbc Welsh: crafanc, ewin
- ttbc Yiddish: (krel)
Verb
- To scratch or to tear at.
- To use the claws to seize.
- To use the claws to climb.
Translations
scratch or tear at
- Danish: kradse, rive, kradse
- Finnish: kynsiä, raapia
- German: kratzen, zerkratzen
- Greek: νυχιάζω (nychiázo)
use claws to seize
Extensive Definition
A claw is a curved, pointed appendage, found at
the end of a toe or finger in most mammals, birds, and some reptiles.
Somewhat similar fine hooked structures are found
in arthropods such as
beetles and spiders, at the end of the leg or tarsus for
gripping a surface as the creature walks. However, when most people
use the word "claws" in reference to an animal without a backbone,
they mean crab or lobster claws or pincers, more formally known as
"chelae".
A claw is made of hard protein. Claws are used to
catch and hold prey in carnivorous mammals such as cats and dogs,
but may also be used for such purposes as digging, climbing trees,
etc, in those and other species.
Similar appendages which are flat and do not come
to a sharp point are called nails
instead.
Arthropods
The correct term for an arthropod's 'claw' is a chela (plural chelae). Legs bearing a chela are called chelipeds. Chelae are also called pincers.Tetrapods
In tetrapods, claws are made of
keratin and consist of
two layers. The unguis is the harder external layer, which consists
of keratin fibers arranged perpendicular to the direction of growth
and in layers at an oblique angle. The subunguis is the softer,
flaky underside layer whose grain is parallel to the direction of
growth. The claw grows outward from the nail matrix at the base of
the unguis and the subunguis grows thicker while travelling across
the nail bed. The unguis grows outward faster than the subunguis to
produce a curve and the thinner sides of the claw wear away faster
than their thicker middle, producing a more or less sharp point.
Tetrapods use their claws in many ways, commonly to grasp or kill
prey, to dig and to climb and hang.
Birds
A talon is the claw of a bird of prey, its primary hunting tool. The talons are very important, without them the bird would not be able to catch its food.Mammals
A nail is homologous to a claw but is flatter and has a curved edge, instead of a point. A nail that is big enough to bear weight is called a 'hoof' (see also Horse hoof. However, one side of the cloven-hoof of artiodactyl ungulates may also be called a claw). Every so often, the growth of claws stops and restarts, as does hair. In hair, this results in the hair falling out and being replaced by a new one. In claws, this results in an abscission layer and the old segment breaks off. This process takes several months for human thumbnails. Cats are often seen working old unguis layers off on wood or on boards made for the purpose. Ungulates' hooves wear or self-trim by ground contact. Domesticated equids (horses, donkeys and mules) usually need regular trimming by a farrier, as a consequence of reduced activity on hard ground.Many predatory mammals have
retractile (retractable) claws that can partially hide inside the
animal's paw, especially the
felidae, where almost
all of its members have fully retractable claws.
Primates
A primate's nail consists of the unguis alone; the subunguis has disappeared. Much like the tail, the claw in apes is no longer necessary. However, in some individuals the subunguis has redeveloped to form a claw-like structure. These individuals don't have actual claws, instead the unguis appears normal with the addition of a thick growth of subunguis.See also
External links
- The Horse's Hoof Anatomy
- Rat's Claws, also explains much about mammalian claws in general.
claw in Danish: Klo
claw in German: Kralle
claw in Spanish: Garra
claw in French: Griffe (anatomie animale)
claw in Hebrew: טפר
claw in Ido: Unglo
claw in Dutch: Hoef
claw in Japanese: 鉤爪
claw in Norwegian: Klo
claw in Polish: Pazur
claw in Portuguese: Garra
claw in Russian: Коготь
claw in Simple English: Claw
claw in Swedish: Klo
claw in Thai: กีบ (เล็บเท้าสัตว์)
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
abduct,
abrade, agonize, bark, blemish, bloody, break, burn, carry off, catch, chafe, check, chip, convulse, crack, craze, crucify, cut, excruciate, fracture, fray, frazzle, fret, gall, gash, grab, grapple, harrow, hurt, impale, incise, injure, kidnap, kill by inches, lacerate, lancinate, macerate, maim, make mincemeat of, martyr, martyrize, maul, mutilate, nail, pierce, puncture, punish, rack, rake, rend, rip, run, rupture, savage, scald, scarify, scorch, scotch, scrabble, scrape, scratch, scuff, shanghai, skin, slash, slit, sprain, stab, stick, strain, talon, tear, throttle, torment, torture, traumatize, wound, wrench, wring