n.
Pronunciation: ' kl ē -vij
Function: noun
Date: 1816
1 a : the quality of a crystallized substance or rock of splitting along definite planes also : the occurrence of such splitting b : a fragment (as of a diamond) obtained by splitting
2 : the action of cleaving : the state of being cleft
3 : the series of synchronized mitotic cell divisions of a fertilized egg that results in the formation of the blastomeres and changes the single-celled zygote into a multicellular embryo also : one of these cell divisions
4 : the splitting of a molecule into simpler molecules
5 : the depression between a woman's breasts especially when made visible by a low-cut neckline