From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Cleave \Cleave\ (kl[=e]v), v. t. [imp. Cleft (kl[e^]ft),
Clave (kl[=a]v, Obs.), Clove (kl[=o]v, Obsolescent); p.
p. Cleft, Cleaved (kl[=e]vd) or Cloven (kl[=o]"v'n); p.
pr. & vb. n. Cleaving.] [OE. cleoven, cleven, AS.
cle['o]fan; akin to OS. klioban, D. klooven, G. klieben,
Icel. klj[=u]fa, Sw. klyfva, Dan. kl["o]ve and prob. to Gr.
gly`fein to carve, L. glubere to peel. Cf. Cleft.]
1. To part or divide by force; to split or rive; to cut.
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O Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in twain. --Shak.
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2. To part or open naturally; to divide.
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Every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the
cleft into two claws. --Deut. xiv.
6.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Cleft \Cleft\ (kl[e^]ft),
imp. & p. p. from Cleave.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Cleft \Cleft\, a.
1. Divided; split; partly divided or split.
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2. (Bot.) Incised nearly to the midrib; as, a cleft leaf.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Cleft \Cleft\, n. [OE. clift; cf. Sw. klyft cave, den, Icel.
kluft cleft, Dan. kl["o]ft, G. kluft. See Cleave to split
and cf. 2d Clift, 1st Clough.]
1. A space or opening made by splitting; a crack; a crevice;
as, the cleft of a rock. --Is. ii. 21.
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2. A piece made by splitting; as, a cleft of wood.
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3. (Far.) A disease in horses; a crack on the band of the
pastern.
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Branchial clefts. See under Branchial.
Syn: Crack; crevice; fissure; chink; cranny.
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From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
cleft
adj 1: having one or more incisions reaching nearly to the
midrib [syn: cleft, dissected]
n 1: a split or indentation in something (as the palate or chin)
2: a long narrow opening [syn: crack, cleft, crevice,
fissure, scissure]