cleave

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kliːv/
• Rhymes: -iːv

Etymology 1

From Middle English cleven, from the Old English strong verb clēofan, from Proto-Germanic *kleubaną, from Proto-Indo-European *glewbʰ- (“to cut, to slice”). Cognate with Dutch klieven, dialectal German klieben, Swedish klyva, and Greek γλύφω (glyfó, “carve”).

Verb

cleave (third-person singular simple present cleaves, present participle cleaving, simple past cleft, clove, or in UK: cleaved, or obsolete clave, past participle cleft, cloven, or in UK: cleaved)

1. (transitive) To split or sever something or as if with a sharp instrument.

   The wings cleaved the foggy air.

2. (transitive, mineralogy) To break a single crystal (such as a gemstone or semiconductor wafer) along one of its more symmetrical crystallographic planes (often by impact), forming facets on the resulting pieces.
3. (transitive) To make or accomplish by or as if by cutting.

   The truck cleaved a path through the ice.

4. (transitive, chemistry) To split (a complex molecule) into simpler molecules.
5. (intransitive) To split.
6. (intransitive, mineralogy) Of a crystal, to split along a natural plane of division.

Translations

transitive to split or sever

• Hungarian: hasít (hu)
• Icelandic: kljúfa (is), láta klofna (is)

• Norwegian: kløyve (no)
• Swedish: klyva (sv)

transitive mineralogy

transitive figurative

transitive chemistry

• Swedish: klyva (sv)

intransitive to split

intransitive mineralogy

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Vietnamese: rẽ (vi)

Noun

cleave (plural cleaves)

1. (technology) Flat, smooth surface produced by cleavage, or any similar surface produced by similar techniques, as in glass.

Related terms

• cleavage
• cleft

Derived terms

• cleaver

Etymology 2

From Old English cleofian, from Proto-Germanic *klibjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gley- (“to stick”). Cognates include German kleben, Dutch kleven.

Verb

cleave (third-person singular simple present cleaves, present participle cleaving, simple past and past participle cleaved)

1. (intransitive) To cling, adhere or stick fast to something; used with to or unto.

References

• cleave in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• cleave in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913