CLEFT
Dictionary entry overview: What does cleft mean?
• CLEFT (noun)
The noun CLEFT has 2 senses:
1. a split or indentation in something (as the palate or chin)
2. a long narrow opening
Familiarity information: CLEFT used as a noun is rare.
• CLEFT (adjective)
The adjective CLEFT has 2 senses:
1. used of hooves
2. having one or more incisions reaching nearly to the midrib
Familiarity information: CLEFT used as an adjective is rare.
Dictionary entry details
• CLEFT (noun)
Meaning:
A split or indentation in something (as the palate or chin)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes
Hypernyms ("cleft" is a kind of...):
indentation; indenture (a concave cut into a surface or edge (as in a coastline))
Meaning:
A long narrow opening
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)
Synonyms:
crack; scissure; cleft; crevice; fissure
Hypernyms ("cleft" is a kind of...):
gap; opening (an open or empty space in or between things)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cleft"):
chap (a crack in a lip caused usually by cold)
chink (a narrow opening as e.g. between planks in a wall)
crevasse (a deep fissure)
fatigue crack (a crack in metal resulting from metal fatigue)
break; fault; faulting; fracture; geological fault; shift ((geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other)
rift (a narrow fissure in rock)
slit (a narrow fissure)
split (a lengthwise crack in wood)
vent; volcano (a fissure in the earth's crust (or in the surface of some other planet) through which molten lava and gases erupt)
• CLEFT (adjective)
Meaning:
Used of hooves
Synonyms:
bisulcate; cleft; cloven
Similar:
divided (separated into parts or pieces)
Meaning:
Having one or more incisions reaching nearly to the midrib
Synonyms:
dissected; cleft
Similar:
compound (of leaf shapes; of leaves composed of several similar parts or lobes)
