Split or divided, especially describing animals with split hooves like cattle, sheep, or goats.
From Old English 'cleofan,' meaning to split or divide. The past participle 'cloven' became an adjective to describe the characteristic split hooves of certain animals.
In religious symbolism, animals with cloven hooves (like cattle) were often considered 'clean' and allowed to eat, while non-cloven animals were forbidden—and interestingly, this ancient rule shaped what people farmed for thousands of years!
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