- cleave, cleavage
- To cleave is to split or divide. Curiously, "cleave" can also bear the opposite meaning: to adhere closely, cling, stick.
Glossary of Art Terms. 2014.
cleave, cleavage
Look at other dictionaries:
cleavage — 1816, in geology, action of splitting (rocks or gems) along natural fissures, from CLEAVE (Cf. cleave) (1) + AGE (Cf. age). General meaning action or state of cleaving or being cleft is from 1867. The sense of cleft between a woman s breasts in… … Etymology dictionary
cleave — klēv vt, cleaved; cleav·ing to subject to chemical cleavage <a protein cleaved by an enzyme> … Medical dictionary
Cleavage (crystal) — Green fluorite with prominent cleavage. Cleavage, in mineralogy, is the tendency of crystalline materials to split along definite crystallographic structural planes. These planes of relative weakness are a result of the regular locations of atoms … Wikipedia
cleavage — /klee vij/, n. 1. the act of cleaving or splitting. 2. the state of being cleft. 3. the area between a woman s breasts, esp. when revealed by a low cut neckline. 4. a critical division in opinion, beliefs, interests, etc., as leading to… … Universalium
Cleave (fiber) — A cleave in an optical fiber is a deliberate, controlled break, intended to create a perfectly flat endface, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fiber. Since there are no crystalline planes in glass, this process is not cleavage in the… … Wikipedia
cleavage — noun /ˈkliːvɪdʒ/ a) The act of cleaving or the state of being cleft. Low cut Restoration costumes worn by the Misses Lockwood and Roc (see cut) display too much cleavage (Johnston Office trade term for the shadowed depression dividing an actress… … Wiktionary
cleave — 1. verb /kliːv/ a) To split or sever something or as if with a sharp instrument. The wings cleaved the foggy air. b) To break a single crystal (such as a gemstone or semiconductor wafer) along one of its more … Wiktionary
cleave — I. intransitive verb (cleaved or clove; also clave; cleaved; cleaving) Etymology: Middle English clevien, from Old English clifian; akin to Old High German kleben to stick Date: before 12th century to adhere firmly and closely or loyally and… … New Collegiate Dictionary
cleavage — The tendency to cleave or split along definite parallel planes, which may be highly inclined to the bedding. It is a secondary structure and is ordinarily accompanied by at least some recrystallinization of the rock … Lexicon of Cave and Karst Terminology
cleave — 1. v. (past clove or cleft or cleaved; past part. cloven or cleft or cleaved) literary 1 a tr. chop or break apart, split, esp. along the grain or the line of cleavage. b intr. come apart in this way. 2 tr. make one s way through (air or water).… … Useful english dictionary
