An archaic or dialectal term for a cloven-hoofed animal or a creature resembling the devil (who was depicted with cloven hooves).
From Middle English 'clovene,' a variant or related form of 'cloven.' It may have been influenced by associations with devil-like creatures depicted in medieval art and literature.
In medieval times, people used 'clovene' somewhat mysteriously in texts—partly because animals with cloven hooves were associated with wild nature and paganism, and the devil was always shown with cloven hooves!
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