The word for today is…
cleave (verb) – 1. To split with a sharp instrument.
2. To make or accomplish by or as if by cutting.
3. To pierce or penetrate.
4. Chemistry To split (a complex molecule) into simpler molecules.
Source : The Free Dictionary
Etymology : Cleave has two homographs, each with a distinct origin. There is cleave meaning “to adhere firmly and closely or loyally and unwaveringly,” as in “a family that cleaves to tradition”; that one is from Old English clifian, meaning “to adhere.” And there is the cleave with meanings relating to splitting and dividing, which derives from Old English cl?ofan, meaning “to split.” The two have slightly different inflections.
The “split” cleave usually has cleaved as its past tense form, but cleft and clove are both in use as well; as its past participle form (the form that often occurs with have), cleaved is most common, but cleft and cloven are also used. The “adhere” cleave commonly has cleaved or clove (and occasionally clave) as its past tense and cleaved as its past participle.