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cleft

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Split, divided, or separated into parts; the past tense and past participle of "cleave," used to describe something torn or cut apart, often dramatically.

Detailed Definition
“Cleft” describes a fissure or division, as in “a cleft in the rock.” It appears in Romantic and epic poetry to depict natural drama or symbolic rupture. Its stark imagery suits descriptions of landscapes, bodies, or societies torn apart. Though “split” is more common today, “cleft” retains poetic precision for clean, forceful separation, often with mythic or geological resonance.
Example
Example in poetry:
The cleft in the rock provided shelter from the storm (split, fissure); Through the cleft valley ran a silver stream (divided, split apart); His heart was cleft in two by grief and loss (split emotionally); The lightning cleft the oak from crown to root (past tense of cleave, split); Within the cleft of the mountain dwelt the hermit (narrow opening); The cleft chin marked him as his father's son (divided by a groove)
Additional Notes
Cleft functions as past tense/participle of "cleave," but English confusingly has two opposite meanings for cleave: to split apart and to adhere to. Cleft always refers to splitting. Common phrases include "cleft palate" (medical condition), "cloven hoof" (split hoof, often demonic), and "caught in a cleft stick" (trapped between options). In Milton and biblical language, rocks and earth are cleft by divine power. The phrase "cleft in twain" emphasizes complete division. For poetry students, cleft suggests violent or forceful division, useful for imagery of rupture, division, or revelation (what lies within when something splits). Note the similar-sounding "clift" (archaic for cliff), which creates potential wordplay in some texts.
Also Known As
clefte cloven split crevice cleftsmall
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