: one of a pair of cylindrical hardwood sticks that are used as a percussion instrument
Examples of clave in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Hints of Cuban clave rhythms, Tin Pan Alley harmonies, Jewish melodies and piano licks swim through its overarching Romantic theme.—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2024 The great-grandfathers could be said to resemble fiendish claves.—Jay Pilgreen, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024 Man, execute break time; execute flipping the beat; execute Latin grooves; execute clave beats; African rhythms.—Jordan A. Rothacker, SPIN, 20 Dec. 2023 The sound of the clave plays across Brooklyn on a windy Friday night in September.—Damaly Gonzalez, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2023 Also the name of an instrument on which the ubiquitous beat is played, the clave is most closely associated with Afro-Cuban music.—Dallas News, 14 Feb. 2022 Cimafunk’s sound is thoroughly Caribbean, with strong clave timeline and hand-clap patterns chopping up the music, which also has elements of futuristic soul and hip-hop.—John Adamian, courant.com, 14 Aug. 2019 The beat has a hint of Caribbean clave, while the chords move from minor to major, embracing temporary satisfaction.—New York Times, 16 Feb. 2018 Just then, the DJ introduces a tango record, and the clave finally catches its breath.—Adam Hurly, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Jan. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
American Spanish, from Spanish, keystone, clef, from Latin clavis
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