cleft 1
/kleft/ , n.
1. a space or opening made by cleavage; a split.
2. a division formed by cleaving.
3. a hollow area or indentation: a chin with a cleft.
4. Vet. Pathol. a crack on the bend of the pastern of a horse.
[ 1300-50; ME clift, OE ( ge ) clyft split, cracked; c. OHG, ON kluft; akin to CLEAVE 2 ]
Syn. 1. fissure, crevice, crack, rift, cranny, chasm, crevasse.
cleft 2
/kleft/ , v.
1. a pt. and pp. of cleave 2 .
adj.
2. cloven; split; divided.
3. (of a leaf, corolla, lobe, or other expanded plant part) having divisions formed by incisions or narrow sinuses that extend more than halfway to the midrib or the base.
[ see CLEFT 1 ]