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cleavable

 - 2 dictionary results

cleav⋅a⋅ble

[klee-vuh-buhl]
–adjective
capable of being cleft or split.

Origin:
1840–50; cleave 2 + -able


cleav⋅a⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To cleavable
cleave 1   (klēv)   
v.   cleft (klěft) or cleaved or clove (klōv), cleft or cleaved or clo·ven (klō'vən), cleav·ing, cleaves

v.   tr.
  1. To split with or as if with a sharp instrument. See Synonyms at tear1.

  2. To make or accomplish by or as if by cutting: cleave a path through the ice.

  3. To pierce or penetrate: The wings cleaved the foggy air.

  4. Chemistry To split (a complex molecule) into simpler molecules.

v.   intr.
  1. Mineralogy To split or separate, especially along a natural line of division.

  2. To penetrate or pass through something, such as water or air.


[Middle English cleven, from Old English clēofan; see gleubh- in Indo-European roots.]
cleav'a·ble adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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