sliver
[sliv-er]
- a small, slender, often sharp piece, as of wood or glass, split, broken, or cut off, usually lengthwise or with the grain; splinter.
- any small, narrow piece or portion: A sliver of sky was visible.
- a strand of loose, untwisted fibers produced in carding.
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- to split or cut off (a sliver) or to split or cut into slivers: to sliver a log into kindling.
- to form (textile fibers) into slivers.
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- to split.
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Origin of sliver
1325–75; Middle English slivere (noun), derivative of sliven to split, Old English -slīfan (in tōslīfan to split up
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for sliver
Contemporary Examples
And if he can stabilize this sliver of the country, it could prevent another devastating war.
Leaving the OR that night, I looked up the clear sky, at the flocks of white seagulls and a sliver of crescent moon.
Despite name ID and fluent Spanish (there was a sizable Hispanic population in the area), he lost by a sliver.
Her opinion of Nirvana, and the tiny boy, changed entirely when she bought the “Sliver” single in October 1990.
“The sliver of swing votes in the South is small,” said Arceneaux.
Historical Examples
But, as he held it and picked up a sliver, a thought occurred to him.
Louisiana LouWilliam West Winter
The sliver, now being twisted, is called a sliver no longer, but the slubbing.
The Fabric of CivilizationAnonymous
No such difference can be perceived in the sliver at the drawing frame.
The Story of the Cotton PlantFrederick Wilkinson
It doesn't mean a thing though, as far as the Sliver is concerned.
TriplanetaryEdward Elmer Smith
Our orders are to get back there at maximum, and you know what that means aboard the Sliver.
TriplanetaryEdward Elmer Smith
sliver
- a thin piece that is cut or broken off lengthwise; splinter
- a loose strand or fibre obtained by carding
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- to divide or be divided into splinters; split
- (tr) to form (wool, etc) into slivers
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Word Origin
C14: from sliven to split
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
Word Origin and History for sliver
n.
"splinter of wood," late 14c., from obsolete verb sliven "to split, cleave," from Old English toslifan "to split, cleave" (see sleave).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper