cloven
Use Cloven in a sentence
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verb (used without object), cleaved or ( Archaic ) clave; cleaved; cleav·ing.
1.
to adhere closely; stick; cling (usually followed by to ).
2.
to remain faithful (usually followed by to ): to cleave to one's principles in spite of persecution.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English cleven, Old English cleofian, cognate with Old High German klebēn (German kleben)
before 900; Middle English cleven, Old English cleofian, cognate with Old High German klebēn (German kleben)
Related forms
cleav·ing·ly, adverb
00:10
Cloven
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
| to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly. |
verb (used with object)
1.
to split or divide by or as if by a cutting blow, especially along a natural line of division, as the grain of wood.
2.
to make by or as if by cutting: to cleave a path through the wilderness.
3.
to penetrate or pass through (air, water, etc.): The bow of the boat cleaved the water cleanly.
4.
to cut off; sever: to cleave a branch from a tree.
verb (used without object)
5.
to part or split, especially along a natural line of division.
6.
to penetrate or advance by or as if by cutting (usually followed by through ).
Origin:
before 950; Middle English cleven, Old English clēofan, cognate with Old High German klioban (German klieben), Old Norse kljūfa; akin to Greek glýphein to carve, Latin glūbere to peel
before 950; Middle English cleven, Old English clēofan, cognate with Old High German klioban (German klieben), Old Norse kljūfa; akin to Greek glýphein to carve, Latin glūbere to peel
Synonyms
1. halve, rend, rive.
1. halve, rend, rive.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To cloven
Collins
World English Dictionary
cleave1 (kliːv) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb (when intr, | |
| 1. | to split or cause to split, esp along a natural weakness |
| 2. | (tr) to make by or as if by cutting: to cleave a path |
| 3. | to penetrate or traverse |
| [Old English clēofan; related to Old Norse kljūfa, Old High German klioban, Latin glūbere to peel] | |
| 'cleavable1 | |
| —adj | |
| cleava'bility1 | |
| —n | |
| cleave2 (kliːv) | |
| —vb (foll by to) | |
| to cling or adhere | |
| [Old English cleofian; related to Old High German klebēn to stick] | |
| cloven (ˈkləʊvən) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | a past participle of cleave |
| —adj | |
| 2. | split; cleft; divided |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
cleave
"to split," O.E. cleofan "to split, separate" (class II strong verb, past tense cleaf, past participle clofen), from P.Gmc. *kleubanan, from PIE base *gleubh- "to cut, slice." Past tense form clave is recorded in Northern writers from 14c. and was used with both verbs (see
cleave (2)), apparently by analogy with other ME strong verbs. Common to c.1600 and still alive at the time of the King James Bible; weak p.t. cleaved also emerged in 14c. for this verb; cleft is still later. The p.p. cloven survives, though mostly in compounds.
cleave
"to adhere," O.E. clifian, from W.Gmc. *klibajanan, from PIE *gloi- "to stick." The confusion was less in O.E. when cleave (1) was a class 2 strong verb and cleave (2) a class 1 verb; but it has grown since cleave (1) weakened, which may be why both are largely superseded by stick and split.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
They are aided by cloven hooves that are sharp-edged, elastic, and convex with a soft pliable inner pad.
The mischiefmaker is the devil himself, an actor adorned with a pig's snout and cloven hooves.
It had cloven hooves as big around as an oak's trunk.
Rinderpest is a highly contagious, often fatal foreign animal disease of cloven hoofed animals.
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