verb

Clive

KLYV

verb

An old or dialect word meaning to climb or go upward.

"The goats clive the rocky slope with ease."

An old or dialect word meaning to split, separate, or chop something apart.

"He clove the log in two with a single swing of the axe."

noun

A dialect name for the plant burdock or for agrimony.

"Farmers once picked clive from the hedgerows for home remedies."

How to Use Clive

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishAn old dialect verb covering both "to climb" and "to split apart", plus an old plant name — all now rare outside historical or regional texts.

Memory tip

Today "Clive" is far more familiar as a first name; the verb senses are archaic.

Trace the full origin ↓

Word Forms

clived past tense, clove past tense, cliven past tense, clived past tense, clives plural, clives singular, clives singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “Clive” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The goats _____ the rocky slope with ease.

Etymology

From Old English clīfan, "to cleave or stick fast", from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to stick or adhere" — related to modern cleave and to German kleben ("to stick").

Rhymes for Clive

Ive five give dive live hive jive vive olive drive alive waive

See all rhymes for Clive →