Cleave
/kliːv/noun
To split or sever something; or to adhere firmly and closely to something.
Did you know?In Old English, 'cleofan' meant to split, but it derives from a root that also meant to cling—showing how opposites can exist in language!
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kleu-
“to break or separate”
Old English
Old English
cleofan
“to split or divide”
Middle English
Middle English
cleven
“to split or to adhere”
16th Century
English
cleave
“to split or sever; also to cling or stick fast”