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