sliver

American  

[sliv-er] / ˈslɪv ər /

noun

1. a small, slender, often sharp piece, as of wood or glass, split, broken, or cut off, usually lengthwise or with the grain; splinter.

2. any small, narrow piece or portion.

   A sliver of sky was visible.

3. a strand of loose, untwisted fibers produced in carding.

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verb (used with object)

1. to split or cut off (a sliver) or to split or cut into slivers.

   to sliver a log into kindling.

2. to form (textile fibers) into slivers.

verb (used without object)

1. to split.

sliver British  

/ ˈslɪvə /

noun

1. a thin piece that is cut or broken off lengthwise; splinter

2. a loose strand or fibre obtained by carding

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verb

1. to divide or be divided into splinters; split

2. (tr) to form (wool, etc) into slivers

Other Word Forms

• sliver-like adjective
• sliverlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of sliver

1325–75; Middle English slivere (noun), derivative of sliven to split, Old English -slīfan (in tōslīfan to split up

Example Sentences

Only a small sliver of mechanics stick around long enough to get to that level of pay.

From The Wall Street Journal

Why this story stuck with me: This story captured a sliver of the irreverent joy that Bill Walton brought to everyone he touched, including me.

From Los Angeles Times

The reading provided a sliver of light for rate cuts, after traders pared their bets on a fourth successive reduction in January following the Federal Reserve's policy decision last week.

From Barron's

Even though $6.25 billion is only a sliver of Michael Dell’s net worth, which the Bloomberg Billionaires Index put at $141 billion when last I looked, the Dells are being amazingly generous.

From Barron's

Mr Mohammed says that his father and grandfather had dug through these plots for decades but discovered nothing more that "dust and slivers of quartz".

From BBC

Related Words

• flake
• fragment
• shaving
• shred
• slice
• snippet