Dictionary entries for 'cleavage'

Synonyms

cleav·age (klḗvĭj)

noun

The act of splitting or cleaving.
The state of being split or cleft; a fissure or division.
Mineralogy The splitting or tendency to split of a crystallized substance along definite crystalline planes, yielding smooth surfaces.
Embryology
1. The series of mitotic cell divisions that produces a blastula from a fertilized ovum. It is the basis of the multicellularity of complex organisms. Also called segmentation
2. Any single cell division in such a series.
Chemistry The splitting of a complex molecule, such as a polysaccharide, into simpler molecules.
Informal The hollow between a woman's breasts, especially as revealed by a low neckline.