Having the quality of or resembling a clavus (corn, callus, nail, or stripe); somewhat nail-like or striped.
From clavus + -y (English adjectival suffix). A colloquial or informal English formation turning the Latin noun into an adjective by simply adding the productive -y suffix.
Adding -y to Latin nouns is how English constantly creates new adjectives from old words—'clavy' follows the same pattern as 'corny,' 'silky,' or 'brainy.' It's one of English's most powerful word-building strategies!
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