cleave
/kliːv/
verb
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*kleubaną — to split
Overview
Meaning Now
- To split or sever something, especially along a natural grain or line.
- To stick fast or adhere strongly to something or someone.
Literal older meaning
to split or to adhere
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
clēofan
Earliest period
Old English period
Journey
The word 'cleave' is a linguistic curiosity because it represents the merger of two distinct Old English verbs: 'clēofan' (to split) and 'clifian' (to adhere). Over time, their forms overlapped, leading to a single spelling that encompasses two opposite meanings, a phenomenon known as an auto-antonym.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*kleubaną
“to split”
- Old English
clēofan
“to split”
Strong verb class II.
- Middle English
cleven
“to split or to adhere”
Convergence of two separate verbs.
- Modern English
cleave
“to split or to adhere”
Connections
Word parts
cleave
root
split/adhere
Related across languages
German
kleben
to stick (cognate to the 'adhere' sense)
German
klieben
to cleave or split (cognate to the 'split' sense)
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Related to cleave
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.