cleft
cleft Lexical Profile
cleft Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Split, divided, or partially parted into two sections.
"The actor was easily recognizable by his prominent cleft chin."
(Of a sentence or clause) divided into two clauses in order to place emphasis on a particular element, such as "It was the rain that delayed us."
"The linguistics professor explained how cleft sentences are used to shift focus in spoken English."
• noun
A fissure, crack, or narrow opening, especially in rock or the earth.
"Small alpine wildflowers grew inside a sheltered cleft in the granite cliff."
A natural V-shaped indentation or hollow between two symmetrical parts of the body, such as on the chin or palate.
"Reconstructive surgery can effectively repair a congenital cleft in the upper lip."
• verb
To split or sever something along a natural line or grain (past tense and past participle of cleave).
"The woodcutter deftly cleft the seasoned oak log with a single blow of the axe."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Cleft" serves as both the past tense and past participle of the verb "cleave" (meaning to split apart), which is an auto-antonym that can also mean to cling tightly to something (with the past tense "cleaved").
• Rhymes for cleft
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from Middle English "cleft" (replacing Old English "geclofen"), the past participle of "cleven" (to split), from Proto-Germanic *kleubaną.