Main Entry:

cleav·age

Pronunciation:

\ˈklē-vij\

Function:

noun

Date:

1816

1 a: the quality of a crystallized substance or rock of splitting along definite planes ; also : the occurrence of such splitting b: a fragment (as of a diamond) obtained by splitting2: the action of cleaving : the state of being cleft3: the series of synchronized mitotic cell divisions of a fertilized egg that results in the formation of the blastomeres and changes the single-celled zygote into a multicellular embryo ; also : one of these cell divisions4: the splitting of a molecule into simpler molecules5: the depression between a woman's breasts especially when made visible by a low-cut neckline