English word claw comes from Proto-Indo-European *gle-, and later Proto-Germanic *klawō (Claw.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *gle- | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | |
| *g(e)l-eu- | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | |
| *klawō | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | Claw. |
| clawu | Old English (ang) | |
| clawian | Old English (ang) | |
| claw | English (en) | (juggling) To perform a claw catch.. (obsolete) To rail at; to scold.. (obsolete) To relieve uneasy feeling, such as an itch, by scratching; hence, to humor or flatter, to court someone.. To move with one's fingertips.. To scratch or to tear at.. To use the claws to climb.. To use the claws to seize, to grip. |