Plural of cleft: a split or fissure, especially a natural split between two parts or in a birth defect like cleft lip.
From 'cleft,' past participle of Old English 'cleofan' meaning to split or cleave. The word has been in English for over a thousand years, with the medical meaning developing in modern times.
The Grand Canyon and cleft palates are both 'clefts,' which shows how a simple word can describe everything from massive geological formations to tiny birth variations—yet we mostly hear it now in medical contexts, revealing how specialized vocabulary can reshape how we perceive a word's primary meaning.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.