Etymology

clave

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Today it means: A characteristic pattern of beats, especially the 3-2 son clave. Full definition →

Spanish clave ← Latin clāvis
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clave · noun, noun1

  1. Latin · derived fromclāvis“key”
  2. Spanish · borrowed fromclave
  3. English todayclave

From Spanish clave, from Latin clāvis (“key”). Doublet of clavis and clef.

clave · noun, verb2

Clipping of autoclave.

Words from the same roots

Latinclāvis all →

enclaveclefautoclaveclavierclavesclavisclaviatureclaviformclavilux

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.