CLEAVAGE

cleavage

(noun) the act of cleaving or splitting

cleavage

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

cleavage, segmentation

(noun) (embryology) the repeated division of a fertilised ovum

cleavage

(noun) the breaking of a chemical bond in a molecule resulting in smaller molecules

cleavage

(noun) the state of being split or cleft; “there was a cleavage between the liberal and conservative members”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Noun

cleavage (countable and uncountable, plural cleavages)

The act of cleaving or the state of being cleft. [from 19th c.]

The hollow or separation between a woman's breasts, especially as revealed by a low neckline. [from 20th c.]

(by extension) Any similar separation between two body parts, such as the buttocks or toes.

(biology) The repeated division of a cell into daughter cells after mitosis. [from 19th c.]

(chemistry) The splitting of a large molecule into smaller ones.

(mineralogy) The tendency of a crystal to split along specific planes. [from 19th c.]

(politics) The division of voters into voting blocs.

Synonyms

• (separation between breasts): intermammary sulcus

Source: Wiktionary

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Cleav"age, n.

1. The act of cleaving or splitting.

2. (Crystallog.)

Definition: The quality possessed by many crystallized substances of splitting readily in one or more definite directions, in which the cohesive attraction is a minimum, affording more or less smooth surfaces; the direction of the dividing plane; a fragment obtained by cleaving, as of a diamond. See Parting.

3. (Geol.)

Definition: Division into laminæ, like slate, with the lamination not necessarily parallel to the plane of deposition; -- usually produced by pressure. Basal cleavage, cleavage parallel to the base of a crystal, or to the plane of the lateral axes.

– Cell cleavage (Biol.), multiplication of cells by fission. See Segmentation.

– Cubuc cleavage, cleavage parallel to the faces of a cube.

– Diagonal cleavage, cleavage parallel to ta diagonal plane.

– Egg clavage. (Biol.) See Segmentation.

– Lateral cleavage, cleavage parallel to the lateral planes.

– Octahedral, Dodecahedral, or Rhombohedral, cleavage, cleavage parallel to the faces of an octahedron, dodecahedron, or rhombohedron.

– Prismatic cleavage, cleavage parallel to a vertical prism.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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