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definitions

sliver

[sliv-er]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sliver ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

to split.

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RELATED WORDS

slice, fragment, flake, snippet, shred, shaving, thorn, splinter, snip, slip, bit, paring

Nearby words

  1. slit-drum,
  2. slither,
  3. slithery,
  4. slitlamp,
  5. sliven,
  6. sliver building,
  7. slivovitz,
  8. slivowitz,
  9. slma,
  10. slo

Origin of sliver

1325–75; Middle English slivere (noun), derivative of sliven to split, Old English -slīfan (in tōslīfan to split up
Related formssliv·er·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sliver

British Dictionary definitions for sliver

sliver

noun

a thin piece that is cut or broken off lengthwise; splinter
a loose strand or fibre obtained by carding

verb

to divide or be divided into splinters; split
(tr) to form (wool, etc) into slivers
Derived Formssliver-like, adjective

Word Origin for sliver

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

sliver

n.

"splinter of wood," late 14c., from obsolete verb sliven "to split, cleave," from Old English toslifan "to split, cleave" (see sleave).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper