splint

American  

[splint] / splɪnt /

noun

1. a thin piece of wood or other rigid material used to immobilize a fractured or dislocated bone, or to maintain any part of the body in a fixed position.

2. one of a number of thin strips of wood woven together to make a chair seat, basket, etc.

3. Veterinary Medicine. an exostosis or bony enlargement of a splint bone of a horse or a related animal.

4. Armor.

   1. any of a number of narrow plates or lames joined with rivets or a backing to form a piece of armor.

   2. a partial vambrace protecting only the outer part of the arm.

5. British Dialect. a splinter of wood or stone.

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verb (used with object)

1. to secure, hold in position, or support by means of a splint or splints, as a fractured bone.

2. to support as if with splints.

splint British  

/ splɪnt /

noun

1. a rigid support for restricting movement of an injured part, esp a broken bone

2. a thin sliver of wood, esp one that is used to light cigars, a fire, etc

3. a thin strip of wood woven with others to form a chair seat, basket, etc

4. vet science inflammation of the small metatarsal or metacarpal bones along the side of the cannon bone of a horse

5. one of the overlapping metal plates used in armour after about 1330

6. another word for splinter

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verb

1. to apply a splint to (a broken arm, etc)

Other Word Forms

• splintlike adjective
• unsplinted adjective

Etymology

Origin of splint

1275–1325; Middle English < Middle Dutch or Middle Low German splinte; splinter

Example Sentences

Even with a finger in a splint, he was soon deftly and quickly creating palm rosettes to decorate the much larger creations.

From Seattle Times

Some were just strange — like when Salazar had Goucher smear crushed aspirin mixed with a topical cream on her legs as an ad hoc remedy for shin splints, leaving her with bloody, blistering second-degree burns.

From Washington Post

Doctors recommended he wear a wrist splint for another six weeks before resuming training.

From Seattle Times

He posted on Instagram on Wednesday that he was “swapping the splint for my racket again.”

From New York Times

Once, according to a tribute posted online by the university, Dr. Auerbach broke his ankle while hiking in the Sierra Nevada and fashioned his own splint.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• brace