Forms: 5 cliure, clyure, 6–7 clyuer, cleuer (cleuer grasse), 7 cleauer, clauer, (? clives), 6–9 cliver; 6 cleeuers, 6–7 clyuers, 6–9 clivers, 7–9 cleavers. [In OE. clife (= OHG. chliba, LG. klive, klieve, f. root of clifian to adhere, stick) was applied to the burdock, and smæle clife to Galium Aparine. The ME. repr. of this would be clĭve. Instead of it, either by confusion with cliver, clivre ‘claw, talon,’ or as agent sb. from the verb clive, CLEAVE, we find from 15th c. clivre, cliver, and at a later date, cleavers, as if ‘things which cleave.’
(Upper Ger. has kleber, klebere (Grimm 1050), Ger. klebekraut, E.Fris. klîf, in same sense. Cf. also Du. klijve, kleve, ‘lappa,’ bur-dock, and ‘klijf ivy,’ Kilian.]
The climbing plant Galium Aparine or Goose-grass, which adheres by its minute hooked bristles to hedges or shrubs, the clothes of passers-by, etc.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., II. 22. Menge þær wið þa smalan clifan.
a. 1100. Ags. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 297. (Nomina herbarum), Apasina, clife.
c. 1450. Alphita (Anecd. Oxon.), 157. Rubea minor … cliure [v.r. clyure] uel tongebledes.
1551. Turner, Herbal, I. D iij a. Gooshareth called also Clyuer because it cleueth vpon mennes clothes.
1552. Huloet, Cliuers or goslynge wede, rueba minor.
1562. Bulleyn, Bk. Simples, 50 (Brit. & Holl.). [It] wil cleave to men or women’s clothes, and therfore some do cal it clever grasse.
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, IV. lxxiv. 538. Cliuer or Goosegrasse.
1591. Percivall, Sp. Dict., Amor de hortelano, cleeuers, Aparine.
1611. Cotgr., Riéble, Cleauer, Clauer, Goose-share, Loue-man, Goose-grasse.
1677. Grew, Anat. Plants, IV. IV. iii. § 12. Goos-grass or Cliver.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, II. 98/2. Goose-grass, or Cleavers, hath six rough hairy leaves … in whorles.
1779. Mrs. Delany, Corr., Ser. II. II. 424. The juice of clivers or goose grass.
1880. Jefferies, Hodge & M., I. 220. The dogs were all over cleavers sticking to their coats.
