Middle English word cliven comes from Proto-Indo-European *gle-, Proto-Indo-European *glewbʰ-, and later Proto-Germanic *kleubaną (To split, to cleave.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *gle- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *glewbʰ- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | to split, separate, cleave, to split |
| *gley- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | to stick, smudge, to stick |
| *kleubaną | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | To split, to cleave. |
| *gleybʰ- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| klufða | Old Norse (non) | |
| *klībaną | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | To stick, cling to. |
| clīfan | Old English (ang) | |
| cliven | Middle English (enm) |