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Cleavage (geology)
WordNet
noun
(1) The act of cleaving or splitting
(2) The line formed by a groove between two parts (especially the separation between a woman's breasts)
(3) (embryology) the repeated division of a fertilised ovum
(4) The breaking of a chemical bond in a molecule resulting in smaller molecules
(5) The state of being split or cleft
"There was a cleavage between the liberal and conservative members"
WiktionaryText
Noun
- The hollow or separation between a woman's breasts, especially as revealed by a low neckline.
- The act of cleaving or the state of being cleft.
- The tendency of a crystal to split along specific planes.
- The splitting of a large molecule into smaller ones.
- The repeated division of a cell into daughter cells after mitosis.
Usage notes
In Winston's Dictionary (Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1931), only definitions #2 and #3 above were given. Today, however, with the increasingly open discussion of sexually-related subjects, definition #1 would undoubtedly be the best known to most English speakers.