cleft

== English == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈklɛft/, [ˈkʰl̥ɛft] Rhymes: -ɛft Hyphenation: cleft === Etymology 1 === From Middle English clift, from Old English ġeclyft, from Proto-West Germanic *klufti, from Proto-Germanic *kluftiz, equivalent to cleave +‎ -t (“-th”). Compare Dutch klucht (“coarse comedy”), Swedish klyft (“cave, den”), German Kluft. See cleave. ==== Noun ==== cleft (plural clefts) An opening, fissure, or V-shaped indentation made by or as if by splitting. A piece made by splitting. A disease of horses; a crack on the band of the pastern. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ===== See also ===== ==== Verb ==== cleft (third-person singular simple present clefts, present participle clefting, simple past and past participle clefted) (linguistics) To syntactically separate a prominent constituent from the rest of the clause that concerns it, such as threat in "The threat which I saw but which he didn't see, was his downfall." ===== Related terms ===== === Etymology 2 === ==== Verb ==== cleft simple past and past participle of cleave ==== Adjective ==== cleft (not comparable) split, divided, or partially divided into two. Synonym: cloven ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== == Romanian == === Etymology === Borrowed from Greek κλέφτης (kléftis). === Noun === cleft m (plural clefți) klepht ==== Declension ====