Where does “microcleavage” come from?
microcleavage (English) comes from English cleavage, from English cleave, from Middle English cleven, from Old English clēofian, from Proto-West Germanic klibēn, from Proto-Germanic klibāną, from Proto-Indo-European gleybʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European gley- — to be cold, to freeze.
microcleavage (English): cleavage to form very thin layers
Definitions
- cleavage to form very thin layers
Ancestry of “microcleavage”, step by step
microcleavage traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English cleavage
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cleavage | The act of cleaving or the state of being cleft;... |
| 2 | English | cleave | To split or sever something with, or as if with,... |
| 3 | Middle English | cleven | To cleave; to split or slice through; To break... |
| 4 | Old English | clēofian | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | klibēn | to stick, to adhere |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | klibāną | to stick, to adhere |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gleybʰ- | to stick |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gley- | to glue, paste, stick together; to glue, stick... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gel- | to be cold, to freeze |