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

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

It mattered because it took place when women were beginning to shatter old stereotypes, and she wanted to obliterate every shard of that glass ceiling.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2023

“But it did,” he said, holding up the shard of metal.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Related Words

• fragment
• particle
• remnant