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

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

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

"It's a rim shard, an ice-cream shaped cone vessel - very fine material, very fine glass… it's a really nice find," Andy Seaman says as he admires the fragment.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2024

A normal person would feel a shard of remorse, but not Butler.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

Related Words

• fragment
• particle
• remnant