Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/3/84; site cfa.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!houxm!whuxl!whuxlm!akgua!sdcsvax!dcdwest!ittvax!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!wjh12!cfa!wyatt From: wyatt@cfa.UUCP (Bill Wyatt) Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Re: Semantic Reversals Message-ID: <126@cfa.UUCP> Date: Wed, 27-Feb-85 12:54:53 EST Article-I.D.: cfa.126 Posted: Wed Feb 27 12:54:53 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 3-Mar-85 04:07:51 EST References: <108@ISM780.UUCP> <398@hou5h.UUCP> Organization: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Lines: 13 "Cleave" means (1) "to split apart" (2) "to adhere to" The first meaning is transitive, e.g. cleaving firewood, while the second is (always?) intransitive, e.g., (a phrase from the woman's vows in an old-fashioned wedding ceremony) "Wilt thou cleave unto thine husband?", and is rarely used, although not quite archaic. The two forms come from slightly different Old English words (I don't have an OED, so I'm not sure which ones) that probably became confused over the centuries. -- Bill {harvard,genrad,allegra,ihnp4}!wjh12!cfa!wyatt