All 6 Uses

cleave
in
Education of Little Tree
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I watched them until they disappeared amongst the trees, heading into a deep cleft between the mountains.†
Chpt 14. *

cleft = a split or crack in something

"Editor's Notes"

Cleft is the past tense of cleave like left is past tense of leave.

Today, cleft is most seen in the form cleft palate or cleft lip to refer to medical conditions at birth.
Far off, we heard a yell down in the cleft of the mountain.†
Chpt 14.
The sound bounced off another mountain as plain as if Granpa had been over there; then it bounced into the cleft and on up the hollows, getting weaker and weaker.†
Chpt 14.
The echoes had barely died away when we heard three gun shots from down in the cleft.†
Chpt 14.
Granpa said he had practical called up Mr. Chunk and Mr. Slick out of the cleft.†
Chpt 14.
Granpa set cross-legged before the lire and the light flickered over his face, changing it from old, to older ....making it look like rock crags and clefts in the shadows of his cheekbones until all I could see was the eyes looking at the fire; burning black, not like flames, but like embers going out.†
Chpt 21.

Definitions:

(1) (cleave as in: cleave through)
to split or cut through something

Ironically, this word can mean to split in two or to hold together.

Note that you may see cleaved, cleft, clove, or cloven as the past tense of this sense of cleave.
(2) (cleave as in: cleave to)
to hold firmly to something -- such as an object, a person or idea

Ironically, this word can mean to split in two or to hold together.

Note that you may see cleaved, clove, or clave as the past tense of this sense of cleave.
(3) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
a proper noun or other word too rare to warrant focus