clave means A characteristic pattern of beats, especially the 3-2 son clave. It carries an Arena rating of 1722, earned across 23 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, clave ranks #270 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #1,856 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #3,121 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #4,357 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words.
clave is pronounced /ˈklɑːveɪ/.
Why “clave” is a great word
A foundational, repeating two-bar rhythmic pattern that serves as the structural key for many Afro-Cuban musical forms. From Spanish *clave* ("keystone, key"), from Latin *clavis* ("key"), first attested in English in 1928. Unlike the general flow of "rhythm" or the mere repeated phrase of an "ostinato," the *clave* is the specific, preordained code against which all other rhythms are measured. It is the wooden click that holds the architecture of the song together, the invisible grid that guides the dancer’s hips, and the central rule that makes the resulting chaos feel like freedom.
Etymology
From Spanish clave, from Latin clāvis (“key”). Doublet of clavis and clef.
noun
- A characteristic pattern of beats, especially the 3-2 son clave.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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