† ˈcleftureObs.rare. [f. cleft + -ure.] State of being cleft; concr. a cleft, fissure. 1545T. Raynalde Byrth Man. iii. iii. 122 Of..clefture, chappynge or chynynge of the mouthe.1596Edw. III, iii. i. 36 The cranny'd cleftures of the through-shot planks.