dewclaw Hear it!

dewclaw definition

dew·claw (-klô′)

noun

  1. a functionless digit on the foot of some animals, as on the inner side of a dog's leg or above the true hoof in cattle, deer, etc.
  2. the claw or hoof at the end of such a digit

Etymology: prob. so called because it does not touch the ground, but only the dew on the surface

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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