What is the Latin word for cleft?

The usual Latin words for “cleft” are findō, rīma, hiātus; also dūcō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“cleft” in Latin

findōto cleave, break up, separate, divide, split, part; to split, burst; to divide rīmaa cleft, crack, fissure, chink; the vulva, female genitalia hiātusa hiatus, opening (especially of the mouth), gap, aperture, cleft; a longing, desire dūcōto lead, guide, conduct, lead away; to take; to draw, pull

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

cleft

fissura: fissum: rima (fissure in a solid body lengthwise and into the depth of it; chink): hiatus (wide cleft, open and deep). To have a cleft in it, fissura dehiscere: rimam agere (ducere, poetically).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for cleft?: The usual Latin words for “cleft” are findō, rīma, hiātus; also dūcō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.