cleave
KLEEVverbMeaning to split apart; also, to cling closely
Memory hook a CLEAVER SPLITS... a sloth CLINGS. Grandpa’s axe splits the log in two, while in the tree above, a sloth clings tight to its branch; to cleave can mean either one.
With one swing of the axe, Grandpa cleaved the log in two.
In context The bitter argument cleaved the club into two camps, and for months the members sat on opposite sides of the room.
Similar split, divide, sever, chop
Opposite join, unite
Two Old English verbs fell together into one: cleofan (to split) and clifian (to stick, to cling).