splinter
[ splin-ter ]
/ ˈsplɪn tər /
noun
a small, thin, sharp piece of wood, bone, or the like, split or broken off from the main body.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
to be split or broken into splinters.
to break off in splinters.
QUIZZES
DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!
We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Origin of splinter
1350–1400; Middle English <Middle Dutch or Middle Low German; cf. splint
OTHER WORDS FROM splinter
splin·ter·less, adjectivesplin·ter·y, adjectiveun·splin·tered, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for splinter
British Dictionary definitions for splinter
splinter
/ (ˈsplɪntə) /
noun
a very small sharp piece of wood, glass, metal, etc, characteristically long and thin, broken off from a whole
a metal fragment, from the container of a shell, bomb, etc, thrown out during an explosion
verb
to reduce or be reduced to sharp fragments; shatter
to break or be broken off in small sharp fragments
Word Origin for splinter
C14: from Middle Dutch splinter; see splint
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