fissure

1 of 2

noun

fis·​sure ˈfi-shər 

1

: a narrow opening or crack of considerable length and depth usually occurring from some breaking or parting

a fissure in the earth's crust

2

a

: a natural cleft between body parts or in the substance of an organ

b

: a break or slit in tissue usually at the junction of skin and mucous membrane

3

: a separation or disagreement in thought or viewpoint : schism

fissures in a political party

fissure

2 of 2

verb

fissured; fissuring

transitive verb

: to break into fissures : cleave

intransitive verb

: crack, divide

Synonyms

Noun

• check
• chink
• cleft
• crack
• cranny
• crevice
• rift
• split

Examples of fissure in a Sentence

Noun

a fissure in the Earth's crust

a deep fissure in the ice

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There are over 130 volcanoes here, as well as a variety of geysers and volcanic fissures. —Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 18 Nov. 2023

Another eruption from a separate fissure of Fagradalsfjall took place on Aug. 3, 2022. —Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023

The subpoenas to the president’s son and brother came as Republicans pushed to rekindle an impeachment inquiry that faced delays during the jockeying to select a new House speaker, a race that exposed fissures within the GOP conference. —C. Ryan Barber, WSJ, 9 Nov. 2023

The two dams had suffered major damage in the 1980s, Libya’s general prosecutor al-Sediq al-Sour said last week during a news conference, adding that a government study a decade later revealed cracks and fissures in their structures. —Jiachuan Wu, NBC News, 20 Sep. 2023

But after 20 months of all-out war, public fissures are starting to appear in Ukraine’s previously unshakable national unity. —Siobhán O'Grady, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023

Within the Democratic coalition, though, surprising new fissures started to emerge. —Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2023

Those fissures still exist: One major issue driving the conflict is that the House caucus has long been controlled by extremists but also features nearly two dozen Republicans representing districts that Joe Biden won in 2020 who favor a more moderate approach. —Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 20 Oct. 2023

Cracks and fissures in the clay soil have deepened and encircle headstones along with the only thriving vegetation — weeds. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2023

Verb

Beginning with the backlash to the 2008 election of Barack Obama, Lowery examines how American society has fissured in the past 15 years, profiling the victims of white supremacy and the institutions that support it. CALIFORNIA, A SLAVE STATE, by Jean Pfaelzer. —New York Times, 23 June 2023

The other stream of cultural anthropology will continue to evolve and fissure, as a thousand 'discourses' bloom. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 25 Feb. 2013

But where some teams fissure under the weight of unfulfilled expectations, going through that experience collectively made this group even tighter. —Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 5 June 2021

The statements made by Camille Locht and Jean-Paul Mira fed into a world already fissured by deep-rooted racial and economic discrimination. —Gale Ure, Quartz Africa, 25 Apr. 2020

Even before Saturday’s major aftershock, which fissured more roads and prompted more landslides, Puerto Rico estimated damages from a 6.4-magnitude quake on Tuesday at $110 million. —Patricia Mazzei, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2020

This land is made of igneous rock fissured with gold. —Juliana Hanle, Scientific American, 18 Nov. 2019

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Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French fissure, borrowed from Latin fissūra "splitting, crack, opening," from fissus, past participle of findere "to split, cleave" + -ūra -ure — more at bite entry 1

Verb

derivative of fissure entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1656, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

fissure

noun

fis·​sure

ˈfish-ər

1

: a narrow opening or crack

a fissure in rock

2

: a narrow natural space between body parts (as bones of the skull) or in the material making up an organ

fissure verb

Medical Definition

fissure

noun

fis·​sure ˈfish-ər, British also ˈfish-yu̇r 

1

: a natural cleft between body parts or in the substance of an organ: as

a

: any of several clefts separating the lobes of the liver

b

: any of various clefts between bones or parts of bones in the skull

c

: any of the deep clefts of the brain

especially : one of those located at points of elevation in the walls of the ventricles compare sulcus

d

: anterior median fissure

also : posterior median septum

2

: a break or slit in tissue usually at the junction of skin and mucous membrane

fissure of the lip

3

: a linear developmental imperfection in the enamel of a tooth

fissured

ˈfish-ərd, British also ˈfish-yu̇rd 

adjective