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splinter

[ splin-ter ]
/ ˈsplɪn tər /
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See synonyms for: splinter / splintered / splintering / splintery on Thesaurus.com

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.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

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, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use splinter in a sentence

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
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