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Glite Dictionary
catclaw

catclaw

9.9
A small upright shrub with curved pointed seed pods that stick to animals
  • noun
  • /ˈkætˌklɔ/
  • US
translation icon : garra de gato
  • Be cautious when walking through the desert, as the catclaw can easily scratch your skin.
  • catclaw acacia

Examples

  • At the nature reserve, we identified various plants, including catclaw and mesquite, along the hiking path.

  • Those two were a couple of old misfits, sure enough, but Daddy Richard stayed really calm, never tangled with anybody, while the Frenchman was thorny as old catclaw, raking everyone who came across his path except Liza and Leon.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The catclaw shrub is known for its unique curved seed pods and lovely white flowers.

Synonyms

Pithecellobium unguis-cati
vscatclaw
  • Specialized
9.9

A bush from Florida and the West Indies with few thorns, curved pods, and shiny black seeds

is the common name for that same plant
cat's-claw
vscatclaw
  • US
9.9

A shrub with curved seed pods and shiny black seeds

is the same name written without an apostrophe
black bead
vscatclaw
  • US
9.9

A shrub from Florida and the Caribbean with white or yellow flowers and shiny black seeds

describes the plant as an erect shrub with racemes of flowers

Surface Forms

catclaw singular
catclaws plural

Morphology

catclaw = cat + claw (semi-transparent) = cat + claw

The components 'cat' and 'claw' clearly describe a claw-like feature, but identifying the word specifically as a shrub requires botanical/world knowledge beyond component meanings.

Etymology

The word catclaw comes from the English parts cat and claw because the plant's curved seed pods look like a cat's claw. That's why the name fits this shrub with hooked pods that can 'catch' on fur or clothing.