cleavage

noun

the act of cleaving or splitting

the line formed by a groove between two parts (especially the separation between a woman's breasts)

(embryology) the repeated division of a fertilised ovum

the breaking of a chemical bond in a molecule resulting in smaller molecules

the state of being split or cleft

Roots

cleofancleav- · Old English · to split aticum-age · Latin · action or result of

Synonyms for cleavage

scissionn cleftn

Synonyms & related words for cleavage

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of cleavage — including scission, cleft. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to cleavage

Explore words related to cleavage — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include meroblastic, segmentation, endonucleolytic, boobs, braless, spathic, micromere, breasts. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for cleavage

Common synonyms for cleavage include scission, cleft — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does cleavage come from?

The word cleavage breaks down into 2 roots of Old English and Latin origin: cleav, from Old English cleofan (“to split”); and -age, from Latin aticum (“action or result of”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.