(~s, cleaving)
Note: The past tense can be either '~d' or 'clove'; the past participle can be '~d', 'cloven', or 'cleft' for meaning 1, and is '~d' for meaning 2.
1.
To ~ something means to split or divide it into two separate parts, often violently. (LITERARY)
They just ~ the stone along the cracks.
= split
VERB: V n
2.
If someone ~s to something or to someone else, they begin or continue to have strong feelings of loyalty towards them. (FORMAL)
She has ~d to these principles all her life...
VERB: V to n