Standard Lemma guide

dewclaw

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • CMU ARPABET: D UW1 K L AO2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Uncertain first element + claw. Compare dewlap. One suggestion, possibly a folk etymology, is that dewclaws brush dew away.

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: زمعة — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Czech: paspárek — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Czech: vlčí dráp — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Danish: ulveklo — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Dutch: wolfsklauw — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Dutch: hubertusklauw — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Finnish: kannus — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Finnish: kannuskynsi — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • French: ergot — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • German: Geäfter — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • German: Afterkralle — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • German: Afterzehe — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Hungarian: fattyúköröm — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Hungarian: fattyúcsülök — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Hungarian: fűköröm — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Italian: sperone — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Japanese: 狼爪 — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Malay: kuku embun — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Polish: wilczy pazur — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Russian: прибыло́й па́лец (pribylój pálec) — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Spanish: espolón — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Swedish: lättklöv — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Swedish: biklöv — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground
  • Welsh: ewin ffêr — a vestigial digit, hoof or claw that does not reach the ground