shard

American  

[shahrd] / ʃɑrd /

Also sherd

noun

1. a fragment, especially of broken earthenware.

2. Zoology.

   1. a scale.

   2. a shell, as of an egg or snail.

3. Entomology. an elytron of a beetle.

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shard British  

/ ʃɑːd /

noun

1. a broken piece or fragment of a brittle substance, esp of pottery

2. zoology a tough sheath, scale, or shell, esp the elytra of a beetle

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Etymology

Origin of shard

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English sceard; cognate with Low German, Dutch schaard; akin to shear

Explanation

If you break a mirror, the thin sharp pieces you want to avoid are shards. A shard is simply a broken piece of metal, glass, stone, or pottery with sharp edges. Don't confuse shard with shred, meaning to cut into strips, or chard, a leafy green vegetable. You could use a shard of metal to shred chard into salad, but be careful that you don't cut your hands to shreds!

Example Sentences

A conservator uncovers the shard, which bears an intense blue figure of a skylark — evidence, at least to the reader, that Alouette’s recipe endured, and a symbol of how both she and Sasha escaped.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026

She seemed to hold no mistrust toward me and my halting Spanish, no shard of suspicion that I could use to create the usual distance around myself.

From Slate • Jan. 15, 2026

From his pocket, Serhiy Melnyk pulls out a small rusty shard, wrapped neatly in paper.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2025

At least this shard of Iceland-as-Alaska works with its intrinsic enchantment to encourage our sense of belief more than denial.

From Salon • Jan. 14, 2024

He drew in a deep breath and looked down at the shard before he spoke.

From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park

Related Words

• fragment
• particle
• remnant