fissure

[ fish-er ]

noun

1. a narrow opening produced by cleavage or separation of parts.
2. cleavage ( def 1 ).
3. Anatomy. a natural division or groove in an organ, as in the brain.

verb (used with object)

, fis·sured, fis·sur·ing.

1. to make fissures in; cleave; split.

verb (used without object)

, fis·sured, fis·sur·ing.

1. to open in fissures; become split.

fissure

/ ˈfɪʃə /

noun

1. any long narrow cleft or crack, esp in a rock
2. a weakness or flaw indicating impending disruption or discord

   fissures in a decaying empire

3. anatomy a narrow split or groove that divides an organ such as the brain, lung, or liver into lobes See also sulcus
4. a small unnatural crack in the skin or mucous membrane, as between the toes or at the anus
5. a minute crack in the surface of a tooth, caused by imperfect joining of enamel during development

verb

1. to crack or split apart

fissure

/ fĭsh′ər /

1. A long, narrow crack or opening in the face of a rock. Fissures are often filled with minerals of a different type from those in the surrounding rock.

Other Words From

• fissu·ral adjective
• fissure·less adjective
• sub·fissure noun
• super·fissure noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fissure¹

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin fissūra cleaving, cleft, fissure, equivalent to fiss ( us ) divided ( fissi- ) + -ūra -ure

Word History and Origins

Origin of fissure¹

C14: from medical Latin fissūra , from Latin fissus split

Example Sentences

They are weeks into a major renovation after a fissure forced apart rooms in their home.

From Los Angeles Times

Once Bellis discovered the crack on his property was part of a larger fissure in the road, he said, he and his mother reported it to the city and the association.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s scary because it’s bigger than anything anyone imagined,” said Sallie Reeves, who has been trying to figure out how to safely remain on her Portuguese Bend property despite the lack of utilities — not to mention the massive fissure that runs through her home of more than 40 years.

From Los Angeles Times

This is a delicate matter, one of the very few fissures within the Democratic Party, a fissure that the convention’s planners strenuously evaded.

From Slate

An ugly legal battle ensued among the siblings, and an emotional fissure opened that has yet to be mended.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cleavage
• crevice