cloven
Americanverb
adjective
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of cloven
First recorded in 1150–1200, for the adjective
Explanation
Something that's cloven is divided in two. Goats, with their funny, two-toed feet, are often described as having cloven hooves. It's common to see the adjective cloven describing the hooves of animals like sheep, goats, and deer. Jewish religious law specifies that animals that have cloven hooves but don't chew their cud, like pigs, are unclean and shouldn't be eaten. Other things can be cloven, too, if they're divided from each other. If you break up with your girlfriend, you can say the two of you are now cloven. The Old English root, cleofan, means "to split or separate."
Vocabulary lists containing cloven
The Lightning Thief
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
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The Tempest
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Cloven hooves had pressed into the soft mud.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025
In Cloven Kingdom, a satire on modern manners, the dancers slide between the human and animal kingdoms.
From Time Magazine Archive
She was in a familiar dearing where the Council of Cloven Elders had once put Grover on trial.
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
“Your deadline with the Council of Cloven Elders.”
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
Overnight, the satyrs and nymphs disappeared into the woods for a convocation of the Cloven Elders.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
