'cleavability' originates from English, specifically formed from the verb 'cleave' plus the suffix '-ability' (via French '-abilité' and Latin '-abilitas'), where Old English 'clēofan' meant 'to split' and Latin '-abilitas' meant 'ability'.

'cleave' changed from the Old English word 'clēofan' (to split) and through Middle English forms (e.g. 'cleven') eventually became the modern English verb 'cleave'; the noun-forming suffix '-ability' entered English via Old French and Latin, producing the modern compound 'cleavability'.

Initially, the root meant 'to split', and over time the derived compound came to mean 'the capacity or quality of being split or cleaved' (including physical and chemical senses).