dewclaw

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dew·claw

(do͞o′klô′, dyo͞o′-)

A short digit that does not reach the ground, found on the feet of dogs and certain other mammals.

[Perhaps dew + claw.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

dewclaw

(ˈdjuːˌklɔː)

1. (Zoology) a nonfunctional claw in dogs; the rudimentary first digit

2. (Zoology) an analogous rudimentary hoof in deer, goats, etc

ˈdewˌclawed adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

dew•claw

(ˈduˌklɔ, ˈdyu-)

n.

1. a functionless claw on some dogs that does not reach the ground in walking.

2. an analogous false hoof, as of deer.

[1570–80; compare dewlap]

dew′clawed`, adj.

dew·claw

(do͞o′klô′)

1. A small, useless, inner claw or toe in some dogs and other animals that does not reach the ground in walking.

2. The false hoof of deer, hogs, and other hoofed mammals, consisting of two toes.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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