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cleavage

 - 5 dictionary results

cleav⋅age

  [klee-vij]
Use cleavage in a Sentence
–noun
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 opposition between two groups: a growing cleavage between the Conservative and Liberal wings of the party.
5. the tendency of crystals, certain minerals, rocks, etc., to break in preferred directions so as to yield more or less smooth surfaces (cleavage planes).
6. Embryology. the total or partial division of the egg into smaller cells or blastomeres.
7. Also called scission. Chemistry. the breaking down of a molecule or compound into simpler structures.
Origin:
1810–20; cleave 2 + -age
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To cleavage
cleav·age   (klē'vĭj)   
n.  

  1. The act of splitting or cleaving.

  2. The state of being split or cleft; a fissure or division.

  3. Mineralogy The splitting or tendency to split of a crystallized substance along definite crystalline planes, yielding smooth surfaces.

  4. Embryology

    1. The series of mitotic cell divisions that produces a blastula from a fertilized ovum. It is the basis of the multicellularity of complex organisms. Also called segmentation.

    2. Any single cell division in such a series.

  5. Chemistry The splitting of a complex molecule, such as a polysaccharide, into simpler molecules.

  6. Informal The hollow between a woman's breasts, especially as revealed by a low neckline.

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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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: cleav·age
Pronunciation: 'klE-vij
Function: noun
1 : the series of synchronized mitotic cell divisions of the fertilized egg thatresults in the formation of the blastomeres and changes the single-celled zygote into a multicellular embryo; also : one of these cell divisions
2 : the splittingof a molecule into simpler molecules
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

cleavage cleav·age (klē'vĭj)
n.

  1. A series of cell divisions in the ovum immediately following fertilization. Also called segmentation.

  2. The splitting of a complex molecule into two or more simpler molecules. Also called scission.

  3. The linear clefts in the skin, indicating the general direction of the fibers in the dermis.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
cleavage   (klē'vĭj)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. Geology The breaking of certain minerals along specific planes, making smooth surfaces. These surfaces are parallel to the faces of the molecular crystals that make up the minerals. A mineral that exhibits cleavage breaks into smooth pieces with the same pattern of parallel surfaces regardless of how many times it is broken. Some minerals, like quartz, do not have a cleavage and break into uneven pieces with rough surfaces.

    1. Biology The series of mitotic cell divisions by which a single fertilized egg cell becomes a many-celled blastula. Each division produces cells half the size of the parent cell.

    2. Any of the single cell divisions in such a series.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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