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fracture

[ frak-cher ]
/ ˈfræk tʃər /
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See synonyms for: fracture / fractured / fracturing / fracturable on Thesaurus.com

noun
verb (used with object), frac·tured, frac·tur·ing.
verb (used without object), frac·tured, frac·tur·ing.
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

OTHER WORDS FROM fracture

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fracture in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fracture

fracture
/ (ˈfræktʃə) /

noun
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)
a division, split, or breach
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
verb

Derived forms of fracture

fracturable, adjectivefractural, adjective

Word Origin for fracture

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

Scientific definitions for fracture

fracture
[ frăkchər ]

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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