flinders

[ flin-derz ]

/ ˈflɪn dərz /

plural noun

splinters; small pieces or fragments.

Nearby words

flim, flim-flam, flimflam, flimsy, flinch, flinders, flinders bar, flinders grass, flinders island, flinders petrie, sir william matthew, flinders range

Origin of flinders

1400–50; late Middle English flendris, perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Norwegian flindra splinter; perhaps akin to flint

Definition for flinders (2 of 2)

Flinders

[ flin-derz ]

/ ˈflɪn dərz /

noun

Matthew,1774–1814, English navigator and explorer: surveyed coast of Australia.

a river in NE Australia, flowing NW to the Gulf of Carpentaria. 520 miles (837 km) long.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for flinders

An incident not without heroic pathos is recorded by Flinders.
The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders|Ernest Scott
The resemblance of this last to Porto Rico imprinted it on Mr. Flinders's recollection.
An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Vol. 2|David Collins
Many loose statements have been written about the use which the French made of Flinders' charts while he was held in captivity.
Terre Napoleon|Ernest Scott
It is pleasant to turn from so grimy a subject to the work for which Flinders' tastes and talents peculiarly fitted him.
The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders|Ernest Scott

It was with that downright resolve that Flinders set out, and in that spirit did he pursue his task to its end.
The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders|Ernest Scott

British Dictionary definitions for flinders

flinders

/ (ˈflɪndəz) /

pl n

rare small fragments or splinters (esp in the phrase fly into flinders)

Word Origin for flinders

C15: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian flindra thin piece of stone

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for flinders

flinders

mid-15c., Scottish flendris, probably related to Norwegian flindra "chip, splinter," or Dutch flenter "fragment;" ultimately from the same PIE root that produced flint.