fissure
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A long narrow depression in a surface.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
fisherSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈfɪʃɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A long narrow depression in a surface
“Water seeped into a narrow fissure in the rock.”
A long, narrow crack or opening made by breaking or splitting, especially in rock or earth.
anatomy
A groove, deep furrow, elongated cleft or tear between body parts or in the substance of an organ.
A state of incompatibility or disagreement.
verb
To split, forming fissures.
Word at a Glance
- Frequency
- Uncommon
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A long narrow depression in a surface
Used this way, fissure is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“Water seeped into a narrow fissure in the rock.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “fissure in …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: fissure in …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A brain fissure extending upward on the lateral surface of both hemispheres.
The deepest and most prominent of the cortical fissures.
The opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge.
A sulcus near the posterior end of each hemisphere that separates the parietal lobes and the occipital lobes in both hemispheres.
A brain fissure extending upward on the lateral surface of both hemispheres.
A sulcus in the mesial surface of the occipital lobe of the cerebrum.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.