Etymology

cleaver

C3L1E1A1V4E1R1

Today it means: A squarish, heavy knife used by butchers for hacking through bones, etc. Full definition →

Middle English clevere
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

cleaver · noun1

  1. Middle English · inherited fromclevere
  2. English todaycleaver

From Middle English clevere, equivalent to cleave + -er.

Cleaver · proper noun2

  1. Middle English · derived fromclevere“one who cleaves”
  2. English todayCleaver

Occupational surname for someone who split wood, from Middle English clevere (“one who cleaves”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.