Cleave Definition

Origin of Cleave

• From Middle English cleven, from the Old English strong verb clēofan, from Proto-Germanic *kleubaną, from Proto-Indo-European *glewbʰ- (“to cut, to slice”). Cognate with Dutch klieven, dialectal German klieben, Swedish klyva, and Greek γλύφω (glýfo, “carve”).

  From Wiktionary

• From Old English cleofian, from Proto-Germanic *klibjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gley- (“to stick”). Cognates include German kleben, Dutch kleven.

  From Wiktionary

• Middle English cleven from Old English clēofan gleubh- in Indo-European roots

  From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

• Middle English cleven from Old English cleofian

  From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition