Another name for the plant cleavers (Galium aparine), a climbing plant with hooked hairs that stick to clothing and fur.
'Cleaver' (the sticky plant) plus 'wort' (Old English suffix meaning plant or herb). This is a compound word using traditional English plant-naming conventions where 'wort' indicated medicinal or useful plants.
Cleaverwort was essential in medieval herbalism—herbalists loved it because its sticky nature meant it collected at clothing easily (convenient for harvesting), and they used it as a 'blood purifier' and diuretic, though modern science suggests much more modest benefits.
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