Clefting
/ˈklɛf.tɪŋ/noun
The act or process of splitting or dividing; in linguistics, a sentence construction that emphasizes one element by splitting a clause.
Did you know?The core root behind clefting also gave English words like cliff, cleave, and cloven, all carrying the old idea of a split or cleft rather than a romantic bond.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*kliftaz / *kleubaną
“a split, cleft, or to split”
Old English
OE
clyft / cleofan
“a cleft, crack, or to split apart”
Middle English
ME
cleft / cleften
“split; divided; made into a cleft”
Modern English
English
clefting
“the process or result of clefting; especially a syntactic construction that divides a clause for emphasis”