cleavage

[klee-vij]

noun

1. the act of cleaving cleave or splitting.

2. the state of being cleft. cleave. cleft.

3. the area between a woman's breasts, especially when revealed by a low-cut neckline.

4. a critical division in opinion, beliefs, interests, etc., as leading to opposition between two groups.

   a growing cleavage between the Conservative and Liberal wings of the party.

5. the tendency of crystals, certain minerals, rocks, etc., to break in preferred directions so as to yield more or less smooth surfaces cleavageplanes.

6. Embryology.,  the total or partial division of the egg into smaller cells or blastomeres.

7. Also called scission. Chemistry.,  the breaking down of a molecule or compound into simpler structures.

cleavage

/ ˈkliːvɪdʒ /

noun

1. informal,  the separation between a woman's breasts, esp as revealed by a low-cut dress

2. a division or split

3. (of crystals) the act of splitting or the tendency to split along definite planes so as to yield smooth surfaces

4. Also called: segmentation. embryol (in animals) the repeated division of a fertilized ovum into a solid ball of cells (a morula), which later becomes hollow (a blastula)

5. the breaking of a chemical bond in a molecule to give smaller molecules or radicals

6. geology the natural splitting of certain rocks, or minerals such as slates, or micas along the planes of weakness

cleavage

1. Geology,  The breaking of certain minerals along specific planes, making smooth surfaces. These surfaces are parallel to the faces of the molecular crystals that make up the minerals. A mineral that exhibits cleavage breaks into smooth pieces with the same pattern of parallel surfaces regardless of how many times it is broken. Some minerals, like quartz, do not have a cleavage and break into uneven pieces with rough surfaces.

2. Biology

   1. The series of mitotic cell divisions by which a single fertilized egg cell becomes a many-celled blastula. Each division produces cells half the size of the parent cell.

   2. Any of the single cell divisions in such a series.

cleavage

1. The process by which an animal cell divides into two daughter cells after mitosis. In an embryo, this process is repeated many times and leads to the formation of the blastula.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cleavage¹

First recorded in 1810–20; cleave ² + -age

Example Sentences

Big doe eyes and perhaps a little cleavage to sell this heartfelt — or shall we say silicon chip-felt — message about kids who “are forced to carry a quiet laughter.”

From Salon

Her 2024 hosting gig on “SNL” included a sketch where she was dressed as a Hooters waitress, complete with ample cleavage.

From Los Angeles Times

In a biologically credible touch, the animators have added tarnish to her cleavage: “I doubt she was naked,” Reed says evenly.

From Los Angeles Times

She even claimed to have given Hollywood star Julia Roberts a cleavage.

From BBC

When they turned around for the first time, I was treated to a grotesque mask at the back of Tatarsky’s head and prosthetic cleavage that might have also been the plastic molding of butt cheeks.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• chasm 
• rift 
• schism