cleft

Split in stone

A cleft is a split or fissure—a narrow opening in rock, wood, or flesh.

A cleft in a cliff face offers a handhold; a cleft palate is a birth defect where the roof of the mouth hasn't fully closed.

Cleft also serves as the past tense of cleave: The axe cleft the log in two.

To be caught in a cleft stick is to face a dilemma with no good options.

opening

crevice

Narrow opening in surface

gapUnfilled space between
fissureNarrow crack in rock
crackNarrow break or attempt

split · rift · aperture · chasm · fracture · breach · gash · slit · rent · rupture

verb

split

Separation into parts

divideSeparate into parts
severCut apart completely
rendTear apart violently

sunder · part · separate · bisect · halve · rive · hew · chop · cut · slice

indentation

groove

Narrow cut or routine

notchV-shaped incision
furrowNarrow trench in earth
channelPassage for transmission

crease · hollow · depression · recess · dimple · valley · gully · niche · trough · dip

chin

dimple

Facial skin depression

jawlineLower facial boundary
facialBeauty service for skin
featureDistinguishing quality or element

Kirk Douglas · John Travolta · hereditary · genetic · attractive · distinctive · prominent · masculine · cosmetic · filler

geology

rock

Solid earthen material

cliffVertical rock wall
crevasseDeep glacial fissure
canyonDeep river-cut gorge

ravine · gorge · escarpment · outcrop · erosion · weathering · limestone · granite · formation · bedrock

anatomy

palate

Oral cavity ceiling

lipMouth's outer edge
congenitalExisting from birth
surgeryInvasive medical procedure

repair · malformation · craniofacial · syndrome · velopharyngeal · insufficiency · speech · therapy · plastic · surgeon

Categories

groovesfurrow, channel, slot, rut, score
crackscracks, crack, fissure, gaps, gap
gapsgap, rift, void, chasm, crack
narrow openingscrack, crevice, slit, slot, fissure
disfigurementsscars, scar, scarring, deformities, deformity
leaf shapesoval, round, heart-shaped, maple leaf, oak leaf

Opposites

physical structure/continuity

cleftsolid

Firm matter state

whole · unbroken · continuous · intact · seamless

state of joining/separation

Linked or united

united · fused · merged · bonded · connected

anatomical/biological division

cleftfused

Joined by melting together

simple · unsubdivided · whole · intact · unified

Phrases

meat cleaverHeavy cutting blade
treble clefSymbol establishing high pitches
cleft chinGroove in lower jaw
cleft palateCongenital oral roof opening
cleft lipOral birth defect
bass clefLow-pitch staff symbol

Family

cleave, cleaver, cleavage, cleaving, cleaved, clef, clefts, cleft chin, cleft palate

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