(kleft )

1. A fissure or elongated opening.
2. Divided or split.

alveolar c.An anomaly resulting from lack of fusion between the medial nasal process and the maxillary process. A cleft maxillary alveolar process is usually associated with a cleft lip or palate or both.

branchial c.An opening between the branchial arches of an embryo. In lower vertebrates it becomes a gill cleft. SYN: branchial fissure.

facial c.An anomaly resulting from failure of the facial processes of the embryo to fuse. Common types are oblique facial cleft, an open nasolacrimal furrow extending from the eye to the lower portion of the nose that is sometimes continuous with a cleft in the upper lip, and transverse facial cleft, which extends laterally from the angle of the mouth.

intratonsillar c.Supratonsillar fossa.

pudendal c.The slit between the labia majora.

synaptic c.The synapse of a neuromuscular junction (between the axon terminal of a motor neuron and the sarcolemma of a muscle fiber). Impulse transmission is accomplished by a neurotransmitter.

thenar c.A fascial cleft of the palm overlying the volar surface of the adductor pollicis muscle.

visceral c.One of the fissures separating the visceral arches.