Cleave v. i. [imp. Cleaved Clave ( Obs.); p. p. Cleaved; p. pr. & vb. n. Cleaving.]
1. To adhere closely; to stick; to hold fast; to cling.
My bones cleave to my skin. --Ps. cii. 5.
The diseases of Egypt . . . shall cleave unto thee. --Deut. xxviii. 60.
Sophistry cleaves close to and protects
Sin's rotten trunk, concealing its defects. --Cowper.
2. To unite or be united closely in interest or affection; to adhere with strong attachment.
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife. --Gen. ii. 24.
Cleave unto the Lord your God. --Josh. xxiii. 8.
3. To fit; to be adapted; to assimilate. [Poetic.]
New honors come upon him,
Like our strange garments, cleave not to their mold
But with the aid of use. --Shak.
Cleave v. t. [imp. Cleft Clave ( Obs.), Clove ( Obsolescent); p. p. Cleft, Cleaved or Cloven p. pr. & vb. n. Cleaving.]
1. To part or divide by force; to split or rive; to cut.
O Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in twain. --Shak.
2. To part or open naturally; to divide.
Every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws. --Deut. xiv. 6.