cleave1

 
Pronunciation: /kliːv/

verb (past clove /kləʊv/ or cleft /klɛft/ or cleaved; past participle cloven /ˈkləʊv(ə)n/ or cleft or cleaved)

[with object]
  • split or sever (something), especially along a natural line or grain: the large chopper his father used to cleave wood for the fire
  • split (a molecule) by breaking a particular chemical bond.
  • [no object] Biology (of a cell) divide: the egg cleaves to form a mulberry-shaped cluster of cells
  • make a way through (something) forcefully, as if by splitting it apart: they watched a coot cleave the smooth water [no object]: an unstoppable warrior clove through their ranks

Derivatives

cleavable

adjective

Origin:

Old English clēofan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch klieven and German klieben