- fissure
- c.1400, from O.Fr. fissure, from L. fissura "a cleft," from root of findere "to split, cleave," from PIE *bhi-n-d-, from base *bheid- "to split" (cf. Skt. bhinadmi "I cleave," O.H.G. bizzan "to bite," O.E. bita "a piece bitten off, morsel," O.N. beita "to hunt with dogs," beita "pasture, food").