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hoves

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An archaic plural form of "hoof," referring to the feet of ungulate animals like horses, commonly found in older poetic descriptions.

Detailed Definition
"Hoves" is an archaic or poetic plural of "hoof." Millay uses it to give the fawn’s feet an older, more elevated literary sound.
Example
Example in poetry:
“His polished cleft-small ebony hoves” uses the archaic plural hoves for hoofs; “The pony’s hoves rang on the frozen lane” gives the old form a rural sound; “Bronze hoves of the statue flashed at noon” applies it to sculptural animal imagery; Modern English usually prefers hoofs or hooves, while hoves can create an antique or stylized register
Additional Notes
The form "hoves" is an archaic plural in "ebony hoves," and modern readers are more likely to know the standard plural "hooves."; Found in the poem, The Fawn by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Also Known As
heaves rises lifts swells
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