- Cleave
- Cleave Cleave (kl[=e]v), v. i. [imp. {Cleaved} (kl[=e]vd),
{Clave} (kl[=a]v, Obs.); p. p. {Cleaved}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Cleaving}.] [OE. cleovien, clivien, cliven, AS. cleofian,
clifian; akin to OS. klib[=o]n, G. kleben, LG. kliven, D.
kleven, Dan. kl[ae]be, Sw. klibba, and also to G. kleiben to
cleve, paste, Icel. kl[=i]fa to climb. Cf. {Climb}.]
1. To adhere closely; to stick; to hold fast; to cling.
[1913 Webster]
My bones cleave to my skin. --Ps. cii. 5. [1913 Webster]
The diseases of Egypt . . . shall cleave unto thee. --Deut. xxviii. 60. [1913 Webster]
Sophistry cleaves close to and protects Sin's rotten trunk, concealing its defects. --Cowper. [1913 Webster]
2. To unite or be united closely in interest or affection; to adhere with strong attachment. [1913 Webster]
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife. --Gen. ii. 24. [1913 Webster]
Cleave unto the Lord your God. --Josh. xxiii. 8. [1913 Webster]
3. To fit; to be adapted; to assimilate. [Poetic.] [1913 Webster]
New honors come upon him, Like our strange garments, cleave not to their mold But with the aid of use. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.