tocleave

tocleave

English

Etymology

From Middle English tocleven, frm Old English tōclēofan (“to split apart, cleave asunder”), from Proto-Germanic *tōkliubaną (“to split apart”), equivalent to to- +‎ cleave (“to split”). Cognate with Old High German zechluiban (“to split apart, cleave asunder”).

Verb

tocleave (third-person singular simple present tocleaves, present participle tocleaving, simple past toclove or tocleft or tocleaved, past participle tocloven or tocleft or tocleaved)

1. (transitive, dialectal, obsolete) To divide; split open; cleave asunder.
2. (intransitive, dialectal, obsolete) To split apart; break.

References

• tocleave in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.