cloven

Parted in two

Cloven means split or divided into two parts.

The word is the past participle of cleave and appears almost exclusively in cloven hoof—the divided foot of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and deer.

Because the devil is traditionally depicted with cloven hooves, the word carries diabolical associations: cloven-footed, a cloven hoof beneath the robe.

hoof

ungulate

Mammal with hooves

cattle · sheep · goat · deer · antelope · pig · bison · buffalo · elk · moose

split

divided

Separated into portions

halved · severed · bisected · sundered · rent · dissected · branching · Y-shaped · V-shaped · divergent

mythology

devil

Evil supernatural entity

  • SatanJudeo-Christian arch-enemy of God
  • demonMalevolent supernatural being
  • LuciferRebellious angel of Christian theology

Mephistopheles · satyr · Pan · faun · Baphomet · hellish · infernal · diabolical · demonic · pitchfork

symbolic

duality

Twofold nature

division · schism · ambivalence · binary · twofold · separation · human-animal · deception · disguise · revelation

Categories
Opposites
physical division/wholeness

clovenwhole

Full and undivided

solid · unified · fused · intact · united

symbolic/spiritual association

clovenangelic

Divinely pure and good

divine · holy · heavenly · sanctified · blessed

Phrases
Family

cloves, clove, clove hitch, cloven hooves, cloven-footed, cloven hoof

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G