Pa. t. cleaved, clave; Pa. pple. cleaved. Forms: see below. [OE. had two verbs; clífan str. (*cláf, pl. clifon, clifen), and clifian, cleofian wk. (clifode, -od). (1) The former was a Com. Teut. strong vb., in OS. biklîƀan to adhere (MDu. clîƀan to cling, climb, Du. beklijven to adhere, stick), OHG. chlîban (MHG. rare, klîban) to adhere, stick, ON. klîfa to clamber, climb by clinging:—OTeut. *klîƀ-an, perhaps ultimately f. simpler root kli- to stick: cf. CLIMB, CLAY, CLAM. Of this str. vb. OE. shows only a few examples of the present, its place being generally taken by (2) the derivative clifian, corresp. to OS. cliƀon (MDu. clēven, Du. kleven), OHG. chlebên (MHG. and G. kleben):—OTeut. *kliƀôjan, f. weak stem kliƀ- of the strong vb. This had in OE. the variants cliofian, cleofian (with o or u fracture of i; cf. lífian, leofian, to live, Sc. leeve), whence in ME. clive, and clēve, cleeve; the latter finally prevailed, and is now written cleave. Instead of the normal pa. t. and pple. clived, cleved, we find also from 14th c. clave, occas. clef, clof, clove, and in 17th c. cleft; in the pple. clave, clove, and cleft. At present cleave, cleaved, is the ordinary inflexion, but the influence of the Bible of 1611, in which clave is frequent (beside, and in the same sense as, cleaved), has made that an admissible form: clove, cleft are now left to CLEAVE v.1
The final predominance of cleve rather than clive as the ME. form made the present stem identical in form with that of CLEAVE v.1 to split. Hence their inflexional forms were naturally also confused, and to some extent blended or used indiscriminately. The pa. t. clave attached itself in the 14th c. to both; in this verb it corresponds to the original strong pa. t. *cláf, but does not appear to be continuous with it; it was prob. a new form due to analogy: see note to CLEAVE1. The occasional pa. t. clef belongs properly to CLEAVE1; as perhaps also clof, clove. (The occas. pa. pples. clave, clove, are from the pa. t.) The weak inflexion cleaved is of course proper to this verb, and prob. was transferred hence to CLEAVE1. The shortened cleft found in both, appears to be due to the analogy of leave, left, bereave, -reft. To the same analogy is probably due the mod. spelling cleave in both verbs: this is not etymological, for both words had close e in ME., and would properly now be cleeve or clieve.]
A. Forms.
1. Present stem. a. 1 clífan, clifian, 3–6 cliue(n, clyue(n, (4 clyuy), 6 clive.
a. 1000. in Thorpe, Hom., II. 530 (Bosw.). Ðin tunge clifað to ðinum gomum.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 372. And erðe freten wile he mai liuen, And atter [shall] on is tunge cliuen.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 1901. Þat al þy breyn scholde clyue al aboute ys fuste.
1561. Hollybush, Hom. Apoth., 30 b. Festened or clyved upon the belly.
1563. T. Gale, Antidot., II. 8. They wyll … cliue to the handes.
β. 1 clio-, cleofian, 3 cleou-, 4 cleuien, 4–6 cleue(n, 5 cleuy, clefe, cleeue, cleve, 6 cleeve.
a. 1000. Whale, 73 (Gr.). Þa þe him on cleofiað.
c. 1205. Lay., 1960. Þe nome … a summe stede cleouieð faste.
c. 1450. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 562. Adhereo, to cleuy to.
1483. Cath. Angl., 67. Cleve to, herere.
1552. Abp. Hamilton, Catech. (1884), 36. Cleeve to him.
1568. Grafton, Chron. Edw. IV., II. 699. To cleve to King Henry.
a. 1600. Chester Pl. (1843–7), 214. To them … Which cleeve to me allwaie.
γ. 6– cleave (cleaue).
1530. Palsgr., 486/2. My shyrte cleaveth to my backe.
1561. T. Norton, Calvin’s Inst., III. 211. The water stil cleaueth vpon them.
1581, 1635, etc. [see B. 2, 4].
2. Past tense. α. 1 clif-, cliof-, cleofede, 3–5 clivede, 3–6 clevede, 6– cleaved.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Luke x. 11. Þæt dust þæt of eowre ceastre on urum fotum clifode [1140 clyofede, 1160 clefede].
c. 1300. Havelok, 1300. Al that euere in Denemark liueden On mine armes faste clyueden.
1388. Wyclif, Luke x. 11. The poudir that cleued [1382 cleuyde] to vs.
1480. [see B 1].
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 533. He … cleved to the Frenche king.
1763. [see B 4].
1855. Tennyson, Maud, III. VI. iii. I cleaved to a cause that I felt to be pure and true.
β. 7 cleft.
c. 1611. Chapman, Iliad, XVII. 359. The foes cleft one to other.
a. 1626. Bp. Andrewes, Serm. (1641). The core of corruption that cleft to our nature and to us.
γ. 4 claf, (claif), 4–7 claue, 7– clave.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 20745. His hend claf [Gött. clef, Fairf. cleued] to þat ber fast. Ibid., 20954. A gast … Þat in a maiden bodi claue [Gött. claif, Trin. clof].
1611. Bible, Ruth i. 14. Ruth claue vnto her.
1867. Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1876), I. ii. 60. Many of the Danes no doubt still clave to their ancient worship.
1887. Hall Caine, Son of Hagar, II. II. xiii. 43. His tongue clave to his mouth.
δ. 4 clef; ε. 4 clof, 7–9 clove.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 20745 (Gött.). His hend clef to þe bere fast. Ibid. (c. 1340), 20954 (Trin.). Þat in a maydenes body clof.
1692. Washington, trans. Milton’s Def. Pop. (1695), Pref. p. xi. You say, their tongues clove to the roof of their mouths;… I wish they had clove there to this day.
1885. E. Arnold, Secr. Death, 10. Bethink How those of old, the saints, clove to their word.
3. Pa. pple. α. 1 clifod, cleofod, 3–6 cleued, 6 clyued, 6–9 cleaved.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 73. Als hit cleued were.
1535. Coverdale, Job xxxi. 5. Yf I haue cleued vnto vanitie.
1837. J. J. Blunt, Plain Serm., Ser. III. (1861), 256. That the Formularies of the Church … should be cleaved unto.
β. 7 cleft.
1641. Brome, Joviall Crew, III. Wks. 1873, III. 411. Unlesse … you have at least cleft or slept together.
γ. 7 clave, clove.
1642. Rogers, Naaman, 16. Had they clave to their duty.
1692. [see 2 δ, clove].
B. Signification.
1. To stick fast or adhere, as by a glutinous surface, to († on, upon, in). (The perfect tenses were formerly formed with be.)
c. 897. K. Ælfred, Gregory’s Past., xlvii. 361. His flæsces lima clifað ælc on oðrum.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Lev. i. 8. Ealle pa þinʓ þe to þære lifre clifiaþ.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 73. Cleued bi mi tunge to mine cheken gif ich forgete þe ierusalem.
a. 1300. Fragm. Pop. Sc. (Wright), 229. Ren-forst … cleveth in hegges al aboute.
c. 1430. Cookery Bk., 21. Ȝif it cleuey, let it boyle.
1480. Caxton, Chron. Eng., cci. 182. A drope of drye blode … cleued on his hond.
1535. Coverdale, Job xxix. 10. Their tonges cleued [1611 cleaued] to the rofe of their mouthes.
1561. Hollybush, Hom. Apoth., 30 b. A pece of papir, the bignes of a groate, festened or clyued vpon the belly.
1592. Greene, in Shaks. C. Praise, 2. Unto none of you … sought those burres to cleaue.
1626. Bacon, Sylva, § 293. Water in small quantity cleaveth to any thing that is solid.
1867. Lady Herbert, Cradle L., vi. 155. Huge masses of masonry, which seem to cleave to the bare rock.
2. fig. (Formerly said of attributes or adjuncts).
c. 888. K. Ælfred, Boeth., xvi. § 3. Nu hi [wealth & power] willaþ clifian [v.r. cliofian] on þæm wyrstan monnum.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., A. 1195. Bot ay wolde man of happe more hente Þen moȝten by ryȝt vpon hem clyuen.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XVII. 329. For kynde cleueth [v.r. clyueþ] on hym euere to contrarie þe soule.
1488. Caxton, Chast. Goddes Chyld., xxv. 73. The rote of his olde sinne cleuyth alway upon hym.
1581. R. Goade, in Confer., II. (1584), L iiij. It is no righteousnes cleauing in vs but in Christ.
1597. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., V. lxix. § 2. The very opportunities which we ascribe to time cleave to the things themselves wherewith time is joined.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 68, ¶ 2. The Pains and Anguish which naturally cleave to our Existence in this World.
1790. Paley, Horæ Paul. (1849), 396. A peculiar word or phrase cleaving, as it were, to the memory.
1859. Tennyson, Lancelot & Elaine, 37. A horror lived about the tarn, and clave Like its own mists to all the mountain side.
3. In wider sense: To cling or hold fast to; to attach oneself (by grasping, etc.) to († on, upon, in).
c. 1300. [see A. 2 α.]
1382. Wyclif, Song of Sol. viii. 5. What is she this … faste cleuende vpon [v.r. to] hir leef? [Vulg. innixa super dilectum suum.]
1481. Caxton, Myrr., II. vi. 76. Yf the culeuure clyue & be on tholyfaunt.
1577. B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., IV. (1586), 185. The little Worme … cleaving so to the Coame, as hee seemeth to be tied.
4. To adhere or cling to (a person, party, principle, practice, etc.); to remain attached, devoted or faithful to. (= ADHERE v. 2, 3.)
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 211. I trow on him gan cleue many riche present.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XI. 219. I conseille alle crystene cleue [v.r. clyue] nouȝte þer-on to sore.
1382. Wyclif, Ephes. v. 31. He schal clyue to his wyf.
1480. Caxton, Chron. Eng., ccxxvi. 233. In this tyme Englysshmen moche haunted and cleued to the wodenes and folye of the straungers.
1534. Tindale, Rom. xii. 9. Cleave [other 16th c. vv. cleaue] vnto that which is good.
1556. Abp. Parker, Psalter cix. 26. O helpe me Lorde … to thee alone I clive.
1635. Swan, Spec. M., iii. § 2 (1643), 48. To leave the literall sense … and to cleave unto Allegories.
1763. Wesley, Wks. (1872), III. 140. My natural will ever cleaved to evil.
1777. Burke, Addr. King, Wks. 1842, II. 403. We exhort you … to cleave for ever to those principles.
1876. Freeman, Norm. Conq., V. xxiii. 171. The mercenary soldiers too, of whatever race, clave to King Henry.
† 5. To remain steadfast, stand fast, abide, continue. Obs.
c. 1205. Lay., 9389. For nis nauere nan oðer gomen þat cleouieð alswa ueste.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 2384. Al egipte in his wil cliueð.
1340. [see CLEAVING ppl. a.2].
1594. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., IV. xi. (1666), 113 (T.). The Apostles did thus conform the Christians … and to make them cleave the better.
Cleave, obs. form of CLEF.
