Cleaver

Cleaver
This interesting name, with the variants Cleever and Clover, has two possible origins. The first being an official title for a mace-bearer. The clavia, mace, or staff was an ensign of authority borne before magistrates. All the early recordings of this name occur in Norfolk. In 1332 one, Walter le Claver was rector of All Saints, Norwich. Later the name was taken to mean "the cleaver" i.e., an occupational name for a carpenter or timber-worker who split boards and planks with wedges instead of sawing them. In this case the origin of the name is the Old English pre 7th Century verb "cleofan", to split or cut. John son of Samuell Cleaver was baptised in St. James Church, Clerkenwell, London in 1652.The Coat of Arms most associated with the family has the blazon of a black field, two gold bars between three silver towers. The crest being a gold lion's gamb couped, grasping a black key. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Simon le Claver, which was dated 1273, in the "Hundred Rolls of Norfolk", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Cleaver — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Alice Cleaver (1889–1984), englisches Kindermädchen Blade Cleaver (* 1992), kanadischer Geschwindigkeitsskifahrer Eldridge Cleaver (1935–1998), US amerikanischer Schriftsteller Emanuel Cleaver (* 1944), US …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cleaver — Cleav er, n. One who cleaves, or that which cleaves; especially, a butcher s instrument for cutting animal bodies into joints or pieces. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cleaver — late 15c., one who splits, agent noun from CLEAVE (Cf. cleave) (1). Originally one who splits boards with a wedge instead of sawing; attested as a surname from early 14c. Meaning butcher s chopper is from 1570s …   Etymology dictionary

  • cleaver — ► NOUN ▪ a tool with a heavy broad blade, used for chopping meat …   English terms dictionary

  • cleaver — [klēv′ər] n. [ CLEAVE1 + ER] a heavy cutting tool with a broad blade, used by butchers …   English World dictionary

  • Cleaver — The word cleaver has a number of uses: Contents 1 Implement or device 2 In nature 3 People 4 Fictional characters 5 …   Wikipedia

  • cleaver — /klee veuhr/, n. 1. a heavy, broad bladed knife or long bladed hatchet, esp. one used by butchers for cutting meat into joints or pieces. 2. a person or thing that cleaves. [1325 75; ME clevere. See CLEAVE2, ER1] * * * ▪ tool       heavy, axlike… …   Universalium

  • cleaver n — There was this one man show baker who prided himself on his bread. He would slice it to order, disdaining automatic slicers, saying that his way was much more effective for the end result. (He was dealing with the upper crust, of course.) Soon… …   English expressions

  • Cleaver — I Cleaver   [ kliːvə, englisch] der, s/ , Spaltkeil, Steinwerkzeug der frühen Altsteinzeit mit breiter Schneide und keilförmigem Längsschnitt; tritt meist zusammen mit Faustkeilen auf. II Cleaver   [ kliːvə], Leroy Eldridge …   Universal-Lexikon

  • cleaver — n. a butcher s; meat cleaver * * * [ kliːvə] meat cleaver a butcher s …   Combinatory dictionary

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