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

I used shards from bowls and my end product looked like a lotus flower, a thing I did not realize until someone pointed it out.

From Salon

The shore doesn’t look nearly as clean as the Sands of Asase—broken concrete, ruined golden statues, and stained-glass shards litter the sand.

From Literature

On Thursday, piles of dirt, concrete shards and other debris surrounded the property, with a bulldozer watching over.

From Los Angeles Times

Nearby, Yang Bao’s “Hyperspace,” a gold, mirrored pyramid accompanied by gleaming shards, nestled in a former lavender field, shimmers amid thyme, gingko, California poppies and native grasses, accompanied by haunting, and constantly mutating, music.

From Los Angeles Times

Artists break through with little shards of music and they might disappear or they might sell out your city’s basketball arena.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fragment
• particle
• remnant