cleavage
UK[ˈkliːvɪdʒ]US[ˈkliːvɪdʒ]
n
The space between a woman's breasts, especially when it can be seen above the top of her clothes.
n
The act of splitting something, or the way that it splits, especially along a natural line of division.
Morpheme Breakdown
cleav
age
cleav
to split
age
noun suffix
Etymology
The word 'cleavage' originates from the Old English verb 'clēofan', meaning 'to split or adhere'. This verb itself has deep Proto-Germanic roots. The modern noun was formed in the 19th century by appending the French-derived suffix '-age', which denotes an action or its result. The primary geological and biological sense of 'a division or splitting' logically extended in the mid-20th century to its now common colloquial meaning, referring to the visible separation between a woman's breasts, metaphorically applying the concept of a split or division to human anatomy.
Analysis
Structure: cleav (to split) + age (noun suffix)
cleav (from Old English 'clēofan', meaning 'to split, cleave'); age (a noun-forming suffix from Old French, ultimately from Latin '-aticum', indicating an action, result, or state).
Examples
The dress had a low neckline that showed off her cleavage.
Geologists study the cleavage of rocks to understand their structure.
The political issue caused a deep cleavage within the party.