 |
| Language: | Old English |
| Origin: | cleofan. cleave to Old English clifian |
| |||||||||
cleave
past tense cleaved, clove
, or cleft
, past participle cleaved, cloven
or cleft
past tense cleaved, clove, or cleft, past participle cleaved, cloven or cleft1 [intransitive,transitive always + adverb/preposition] literary to cut something into separate parts using a heavy tool, or to be able to be cut in this way : 
The wooden door had been cleft in two.
The wooden door had been cleft in two.2 [transitive] formal to divide something into two completely separate parts : the racial problems that still cleave American society
the racial problems that still cleave American societycleave to somebody/something
phrasal verb1 formal to continue to think that a method, belief, person etc is true or valuable, even when this seems unlikely : John still cleaves to his romantic ideals.
John still cleaves to his romantic ideals.2 literary to stick to someone or something, or seem to surround them
