Cleave definition
Cleave to one's principles.
When you split a bone in half using a knife, this is an example of cleave.
When candle wax causes a candle to become firmly stuck to a table, this is an example of a situation where the candle cleaves to the table.
When you become very attached to someone, this is an example of a situation where you cleave yourself to the person.
Cleave a path through the ice.
The wings cleaved the foggy air.
Certain brittle woods cleave easily.
The truck cleaved a path through the ice.
Origin of cleave
- Middle English cleven from Old English clēofan gleubh- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- Middle English cleven from Old English cleofian
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- 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 (glýfo, “carve”).
From Wiktionary
- From Old English cleofian, from Proto-Germanic *klibjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gley- (“to stick”). Cognates include German kleben, Dutch kleven.
From Wiktionary