Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A U-shaped metal piece with holes in each end through which a pin or bolt is run, used as a fastening device.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An iron bent in the form of a stirrup, horseshoe, or the letter U, with the two ends perforated to receive a pin, used to connect a draft-chain or whipple-tree to a cart or plow.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A piece of metal bent in the form of an oxbow, with the two ends perforated to receive a pin, used on the end of the tongue of a plow, wagen, etc., to attach it to a draft chain, whiffletree, etc.; -- called also clavel, clevy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A U-shaped coupling having holes at each end, through which a bolt is run; used especially to fit attachments to a tractor or other vehicle as it allows a degree of rotation about the bolt.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a coupler shaped like the letter U with holes through each end so a bolt or pin can pass through the holes to complete the coupling; used to attach a drawbar to a plow or wagon or trailer etc.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From clevi, possibly of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse klofi, cleft; see gleubh- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

First attested in 1590s. Origin unknown; probably derived from the verb "to cleave". If so, the word ultimately may stem from Scandinavian: cf. Old Norse kljufa (to split).

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Examples

  • Insert the hook at the end of the wire rope into the clevis.

    Winching How-To: Never Get Your Truck Stuck Again 2009

  • No sense burning the extra gas in the summer in order to haul what's in my vehicle now: snacks and water, extra set of pak boots and heavy socks, insulated overalls, snow-shovel, salt, come-along, chain, CLEVIS (everyone forgets the clevis!), old set of used lifting straps to protect trees I winch from ...

    Who here carries an OH S(#* Bag in their vehicle? 2009

  • Generally, the accessory kit includes recovery straps, tree protector strap, clevis (which allows you to connect the wire rope to the tree protector strap), optional remote control system, snatch blocks (also known as pulley blocks), tow hooks, and heavy gloves.

    Winching How-To: Never Get Your Truck Stuck Again 2009

  • Next, run the clevis through both loops of the protector and secure with the pin.

    Winching How-To: Never Get Your Truck Stuck Again 2009

  • No sense burning the extra gas in the summer in order to haul what's in my vehicle now: snacks and water, extra set of pak boots and heavy socks, insulated overalls, snow-shovel, salt, come-along, chain, CLEVIS (everyone forgets the clevis!), old set of used lifting straps to protect trees I winch from ...

    Who here carries an OH S(#* Bag in their vehicle? 2009

  • Also the joints it used were not those stupid clevis things ATK uses, but instead were a design that tightened as pressure increased.

    The Mission Continues - NASA Watch 2009

  • Next to the two-horse cultivator, it was a blunt and puny tool, a simple adjustable V that runs between the rows, teeth on the bottom, a clevis for the horse at the pointy end and handles for the humans behind.

    The Dirty Life Kristin Kimball 2010

  • The simplest horse-drawn kind is the one-bottom walking plow, a heavy pointed hunk of steel with handles on the back end, a clevis to hitch to the horses on the front.

    The Dirty Life Kristin Kimball 2010

  • I collected some delicious new words: clevis, peen, zerk.

    The Dirty Life Kristin Kimball 2010

  • To the top ring, tie a 5-foot leader and connect a crawler harness with a quick-change clevis.

    Today's Best Walleye Anglers Are Inventing New Ways to Land More Fish. 2007

Comments

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  • JM is secure in his belief in the innate cleverness of all forms of clevis.

    October 5, 2010

  • Between the idea and the start

    The want and the will stand apart.

    We need a strong clevis

    To tackle that crevice

    And harness the horse to the cart.

    February 11, 2015