English Word Of The Day

Cleave (Verb)

Pronunciation: [kleev]

Definitions: 1) To split asunder or into two pieces. 2) To cling or adhere firmly to.

Forms: This word has two past tense forms. The past tense of cleave (to cling or adhere to firmly) is "cleaved" or "clove" and the past participle is "cleaved." The past tense of cleave (to split asunder) is are the same, but the past participle is "cleft" (as in "cleft palate") or "cloven" (as in "cloven hoof"). Both verbs are in the process of 'morphological regularization'. That means that irregular (that means not usual) past forms are being replaced by regular forms on -ed.

How to use it: It is possible to use both senses of these verb in one sentence, as in following: "When I clove (cleaved) the log, splinters flew up and clove (cleaved) to my sweater." (Thanks YourDictionary.com for this great word and its interesting usage).

Etymology: The reason this particular verb has two meaning, that are actually antonyms, is is that it is, in fact, two different verbs. The first is from Old English clifian, Middle English clevien, akin to Old High German kleben "to stick." The second is from Old English cleofan, Middle English cleven, akin to Old Norse kljufa "to split," Latin glubere "to peel," and Greek glyphein "to carve" (as in hieroglyphics "sacred carvings").