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fracture

[frak-cher]
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noun
  1. the breaking of a bone, cartilage, or the like, or the resulting condition.Compare comminuted fracture, complete fracture, compound fracture, greenstick fracture, simple fracture.
  2. the act of breaking; state of being broken.
  3. a break, breach, or split.
  4. the characteristic manner of breaking: a material of unpredictable fracture.
  5. the characteristic appearance of a broken surface, as of a mineral.
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verb (used with object), frac·tured, frac·tur·ing.
  1. to cause or to suffer a fracture in (a bone, etc.).
  2. to break or crack.
  3. Slang. to amuse highly or cause to laugh heartily; delight: The new comic really fractured the audience.
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verb (used without object), frac·tured, frac·tur·ing.
  1. to become fractured; break: a mineral that does not fracture easily.
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Origin of fracture

1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French < Latin frāctūra a breach, cleft, fracture, equivalent to frāct(us) (past participle of frangere to break) + -ūra -ure
Related formsfrac·tur·a·ble, adjectivefrac·tur·al, adjectivefrac·tur·er, nounpost·frac·ture, adjective, nounre·frac·tur·a·ble, adjectivere·frac·ture, verb, re·frac·tured, re·frac·tur·ing.un·frac·tured, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for fracture on Thesaurus.com
7. smash, shatter, splinter, rupture, split.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for fracture

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • This pointed out to him that the wire might be sensitive to sound when in a state of fracture.

  • Master Gryphus was detained in bed by the fever caused by the fracture of his arm.

    The Black Tulip

    Alexandre Dumas (Pere)

  • With new-found interest she examined the fracture, and stared at it in wonder.

  • Joe is comfortable in bed; the fracture turns out not to be a bad one.

    Jack Hinton

    Charles James Lever

  • When you have done this the deformity will indicate the location of the fracture.

    Boy Scouts Handbook

    Boy Scouts of America

British Dictionary definitions for fracture

fracture

noun
  1. the act of breaking or the state of being broken
    1. the breaking or cracking of a bone or the tearing of a cartilage
    2. the resulting conditionSee also Colles' fracture, comminuted fracture, compound fracture, greenstick fracture, impacted (def. 2)
  3. a division, split, or breach
  4. mineralogy
    1. the characteristic appearance of the surface of a freshly broken mineral or rock
    2. the way in which a mineral or rock naturally breaks
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verb
  1. to break or cause to break; split
  2. to break or crack (a bone) or (of a bone) to become broken or cracked
  3. to tear (a cartilage) or (of a cartilage) to become torn
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Derived Formsfracturable, adjectivefractural, adjective

Word Origin

C15: from Old French, from Latin fractūra, from frangere to break
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 fracture

n.

early 15c., "a breaking of a bone," from Middle French fracture (14c.), from Latin fractura "a breach, break, cleft," from fractus, past participle of frangere "to break" (see fraction).

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v.

1610s (implied in fractured), from fracture (n.). Related: Fracturing.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
fracture in Medicine

fracture

(frăk′chər)
n.
  1. The act or process of breaking.
  2. A break, rupture, or crack, especially in bone or cartilage.
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v.
  1. To cause to break.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
fracture in Science

fracture

[frăk′chər]
  1. A break or rupture in bone tissue.♦ A comminuted fracture results in more than two fragments.♦ Although most fractures are caused by a direct blow or sudden, twisting force, stress fractures result from repetitive physical activity.♦ In an incomplete fracture, the fracture line does not completely traverse the bone.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.