cloven-hoofed
Definition
- Adjective:
- Having a hoof that is divided into two distinct parts: Describes an animal whose foot ends in a hoof that is split into two separate toes or sections. This physical characteristic is typical of animals in the taxonomic order Artiodactyla, such as cattle, deer, sheep, goats, and pigs.
Usage
- The term "cloven-hoofed" is used specifically as a biological and zoological descriptor. It is an attributive adjective, most commonly placed before a noun to classify a type of animal.
- Example: "The cloven-hoofed animals gathered at the watering hole." It is less common to use it predicatively (e.g., "The animal is cloven-hoofed").
Examples
- Adjective:
- Goats, sheep, and cattle are all cloven-hoofed mammals.
- The farmer raised only cloven-hoofed livestock.
- Traditional depictions of the devil often include cloven-hoofed feet.
Advanced Usage
- In religious or cultural contexts: In some religious texts and dietary laws, "cloven-hoofed" is a key characteristic for classifying animals as clean or unclean, or in symbolic imagery.
- According to Levitical law, to be considered kosher, an animal must both chew its cud and be cloven-hoofed.
Variants and Related Words
- Cloven hoof (noun phrase): The physical foot itself that is divided.
- The deer left deep impressions with its cloven hooves in the soft mud.
- Cloven-footed (adjective): A less common synonym with identical meaning.
- Artiodactyl (noun/adjective): The formal scientific term for an even-toed ungulate, which encompasses all cloven-hoofed animals.
Synonyms
- Cloven-footed: Having a divided foot.
- Bisulcate: A technical, primarily zoological term meaning split or cloven.
Related Phrases/Idioms
- "To show the cloven hoof": An idiom meaning to reveal a hidden evil nature or a diabolical character, stemming from the traditional association of cloven hooves with the devil or satyrs.
- His seemingly generous offer eventually showed the cloven hoof when he demanded excessive interest.
Adjective
-
of or relating to the cloven feet of ruminants or swine
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