Cleft
a space or opening made by cleavage; a split.
a division formed by cleaving.
a hollow area or indentation:
a chin with a cleft.
Veterinary Pathology. a crack on the bend of the pastern of a horse.
a simple past tense and past participle of cleave2 .
cloven; split; divided.
(of a leaf, corolla, lobe, or other expanded plant part) having divisions formed by incisions or narrow sinuses that extend more than halfway to the midrib or the base.
to adhere closely; stick; cling (usually followed by to).
to remain faithful (usually followed by to):
to cleave to one’s principles in spite of persecution.
to split or divide by or as if by a cutting blow, especially along a natural line of division, as the grain of wood.
to make by or as if by cutting:
to cleave a path through the wilderness.
to penetrate or pass through (air, water, etc.):
The bow of the boat cleaved the water cleanly.
to cut off; sever:
to cleave a branch from a tree.
to part or split, especially along a natural line of division.
to penetrate or advance by or as if by cutting (usually followed by through).
Contemporary Examples
Romney and Santorum Face Off: 5 Things To Watch For In Illinois Ben Jacobs March 18, 2012
Historical Examples
Oogie Finds Love Berkeley Livingston
Flip: A California Romance Bret Harte
De Re Metallica Georgius Agricola
Allan’s Wife H. Rider Haggard
Mysterious Psychic Forces Camille Flammarion
The Horsewoman Alice M. Hayes
Degeneracy Eugene S. Talbot
Grace Darling Eva Hope
Mabel’s Mistake Ann S. Stephens
verb
the past tense and a past participle of cleave1
noun
a fissure or crevice
an indentation or split in something, such as the chin, palate, etc
adjective
split; divided
(of leaves) having one or more incisions reaching nearly to the midrib
verb cleaves, cleaving, cleft, cleaved, clove, cleft, cleaved, cloven
to split or cause to split, esp along a natural weakness
(transitive) to make by or as if by cutting: to cleave a path
when intr, foll by through. to penetrate or traverse
verb
(intransitive) foll by to. to cling or adhere
n.
adj.
v.
Read Also:
- Cleft lip
a congenitally deformed lip, usually the upper one, in which there is a vertical fissure that extends into one or both nostrils. the deformity itself. Historical Examples Folk-lore of Shakespeare Thomas Firminger Thiselton-Dyer noun a congenital split in the upper lip, often associated with a cleft palate cleft lip (klěft) A congenital deformity characterized by […]
- Cleft hand
cleft hand
- Cleft palate
a congenital defect of the palate in which a longitudinal fissure exists in the roof of the mouth, often associated with a cleft lip. Historical Examples Degeneracy Eugene S. Talbot Degeneracy Eugene S. Talbot Epilepsy, Hysteria, and Neurasthenia Isaac G. Briggs Degeneracy Eugene S. Talbot Dear Enemy Jean Webster An Ohio Woman in the Philippines […]
- Cleft sentence
a sentence in which a simpler sentence is paraphrased by being divided into two parts, each with its own verb, in order to emphasize certain information, especially a sentence beginning with expletive it and a form of be followed by the information being emphasized, as It was a mushroom that Alice ate instead of Alice […]
- Cleft spine
cleft spine