Fissure

/ˈfɪʃər/

Meaning & Definition

noun

A narrow opening or crack in a surface.

The earthquake created a fissure in the ground that was several feet deep.

A significant break in a relationship or area of interest.

There was a fissure in their friendship after the argument.

An abnormal cleft or split in an organ or tissue.

The doctor diagnosed the patient with a fissure in the tissue of the colon.

verb

To split or break apart into two or more parts.

The glacier fissured as it moved down the mountain, creating new crevasses.

Middle English, from Latin 'fissura', from 'fiss-', the past participle stem of 'findere' meaning 'to split'.

fissure in the relationship

A division or disagreement in a personal relationship.

fissure vote

A division of opinion that leads to disagreement within a voting body.

fracture

The act of breaking or the state of being broken.

crack

A line or mark where something has broken but not separated.

cleft

A split or divided area.

A minor disagreement.

They had a fissure over the petty issue but quickly resolved it.

A gap or rift in a group.

There's a fissure in the team dynamics that needs to be addressed.