splinter

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)
• HYPHEN: splin=ter

CIDE DICTIONARY

splinter, v. t. [Cf. LG. splittern, splinteren. See Splint, n., Split.].

•  To split or rend into long, thin pieces; to shiver; as, the lightning splinters a tree.  [1913 Webster]

  "After splintering their lances, they wheeled about, and . . . abandoned the field to the enemy."  [1913 Webster]
•  To fasten or confine with splinters, or splints, as a broken limb.  Bp. Wren.  [1913 Webster]

splinter, v. i. 

 To become split into long pieces.  [1913 Webster]

splinter, n. [See Splinter, v., or Splint, n.].

 A thin piece split or rent off lengthwise, as from wood, bone, or other solid substance; a thin piece; a sliver; as, splinters of a ship's mast rent off by a shot.  [1913 Webster]

Splinter bar. (a) A crossbar in a coach, which supports the springs. (b) The bar to which the traces are attached; a roller bolt; a whiffletree.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

splinter, v. & n.
--v.tr. & intr. break into fragments.
--n. a small thin sharp-edged piece broken off from wood, stone, etc.

Idiom

splinter-bar Brit. a crossbar in a vehicle to which traces are attached; a swingletree. splinter group (or party) a group or party that has broken away from a larger one. splinter-proof proof against splinters e.g. from bursting shells or bombs.

Derivative

splintery adj.

Etymology

ME f. MDu. (= LG) splinter, splenter, rel. to SPLINT

THESAURUS

splinter

atomize, bit, black sheep, blemish, breach, break, break into pieces, break to pieces, break up, breakage, breakaway group, burst, butt, camp, caucus, chip, chunk, cleft, clip, clipping, collop, crack, crash, crumb, crunch, crush, cut, cut to pieces, cutting, demolish, diffuse, disintegrate, disperse, disrupt, division, dollop, end, ethnic group, faction, fission, fissure, foreign body, foreign intruder, fracture, fragment, gap, gob, gobbet, grind, gruel, hunk, impurity, interest, interest group, intruder, lath, lump, make mincemeat of, mere shadow, mince, minority group, misfit, modicum, moiety, monkey wrench, morceau, morsel, mote, nip, oddball, offshoot, paper, paring, particle, party, pash, patch, piece, political party, pressure group, pulverize, rail, rake, rasher, rent, rift, rip, rive, rupture, scale, scatter, scoop, scrap, sect, shadow, shard, shatter, shaving, shiver, shred, side, silent majority, skeleton, slash, slat, slice, slip, slit, sliver, smash, smash up, smatter, smithereen, snack, snatch, snick, snip, snippet, soup, speck, splinter group, split, squash, squish, stitch, stone, streak, stump, tag, tatter, tear, vein, vocal minority, wafer, weed, wing

ROGET THESAURUS

splinter

Greatness

N greatness, magnitude, size, multitude, immensity, enormity, infinity, might, strength, intensity, fullness, importance, great quantity, quantity, deal, power, sight, pot, volume, world, mass, heap, stock, peck, bushel, load, cargo, cartload, wagonload, shipload, flood, spring tide, abundance, principal part, chief part, main part, greater part, major part, best part, essential part, bulk, mass, great, greater, large, considerable, fair, above par, big, huge, Herculean, cyclopean, ample, abundant, full, intense, strong, sound, passing, heavy, plenary, deep, high, signal, at its height, in the zenith, world-wide, widespread, far-famed, extensive, wholesale, many, goodly, noble, precious, mighty, sad, grave, heavy, serious, far gone, arrant, downright, utter, uttermost, crass, gross, arch, profound, intense, consummate, rank, uninitiated, red-hot, desperate, glaring, flagrant, stark staring, thorough-paced, thoroughgoing, roaring, thumping, extraordinary, important, unsurpassed, complete, august, grand, dignified, sublime, majestic, vast, immense, enormous, extreme, inordinate, excessive, extravagant, exorbitant, outrageous, preposterous, unconscionable, swinging, monstrous, overgrown, towering, stupendous, prodigious, astonishing, incredible, marvelous, unlimited, unapproachable, unutterable, indescribable, ineffable, unspeakable, inexpressible, beyond expression, fabulous, undiminished, unabated, unreduced, unrestricted, absolute, positive, stark, decided, unequivocal, essential, perfect, finished, remarkable, of mark, marked, pointed, veriest, noteworthy, renowned, truly, decidedly, unequivocally, purely, absolutely, seriously, essentially, fundamentally, radically, downright, in all conscience, for the most part, in the main, entirely, abundantly, widely, far and wide, greatly, much, muckle, well, indeed, very, very much, a deal, no end of, most, not a little, pretty, pretty well, enough, in a great measure, richly, to a large extent, to a great extent, to a gigantic extent, on a large scale, so, never so, ever so, ever so dole, scrap, shred, tag, splinter, rag, much, by wholesale, mighty, powerfully, with a witness, ultra, in the extreme, extremely, exceedingly, intensely, exquisitely, acutely, indefinitely, immeasurably, beyond compare, beyond comparison, beyond measure, beyond all bounds, incalculably, infinitely, preeminently, superlatively, immoderately, monstrously, preposterously, inordinately, exorbitantly, excessively, enormously, out of all proportion, with a vengeance, particularly, remarkably, singularly, curiously, uncommonly, unusually, peculiarly, notably, signally, strikingly, pointedly, mainly, chiefly, famously, egregiously, prominently, glaringly, emphatically, kat exochin, strangely, wonderfully, amazingly, surprisingly, astonishingly, incredibly, marvelously, awfully, stupendously, peculiarly, furiously, severely, desperately, tremendously, extravagantly, confoundedly, deucedly, devilishly, with a vengeance, a outrance, a toute outrance, painfully, sadly, grossly, sorely, bitterly, piteously, grievously, miserably, cruelly, woefully, lamentably, shockingly, frightfully, dreadfully, fearfully, terribly, horribly, a maximis ad minima, greatness knows itself, mightiest powers by deepest calms are fed, minimum decet libere cui multum licet, some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.

Disjunction

VB be disjoined, come off, fall off, come to pieces, fall to pieces, peel off, get loose, disjoin, disconnect, disengage, disunite, dissociate, dispair, divorce, part, dispart, detach, separate, cut off, rescind, segregate, set apart, keep apart, insulate, isolate, throw out of gear, cut adrift, loose, unloose, undo, unbind, unchain, unlock, unpack, unravel, disentangle, set free, sunder, divide, subdivide, sever, dissever, abscind, circumcise, cut, incide, incise, saw, snip, nib, nip, cleave, rive, rend, slit, split, splinter, chip, crack, snap, break, tear, burst, rend, rend asunder, rend in twain, wrench, rupture, shatter, shiver, cranch, crunch, craunch, chop, cut up, rip up, hack, hew, slash, whittle, haggle, hackle, discind, lacerate, scamble, mangle, gash, hash, slice, cut up, carve, dissect, anatomize, dislimb, take to pieces, pull to pieces, pick to pieces, tear to pieces, tear to tatters, tear piecemeal, tear limb from limb, divellicate, skin, disintegrate, dismember, disbranch, disband, disperse, dislocate, disjoint, break up, mince, comminute, apportion, part, part company, separate, leave.

Filament

N filament, line, fiber, fibril, funicle, vein, hair, capillament, cilium, cilia, pilus, pili, tendril, gossamer, hair stroke, veinlet, venula, venule, wire, string, thread, packthread, cotton, sewing silk, twine, twist, whipcord, tape, ribbon, cord, rope, yarn, hemp, oakum, jute, strip, shred, slip, spill, list, band, fillet, fascia, ribbon, riband, roll, lath, splinter, shiver, shaving, beard, ramification, strand, filamentous, filamentiferous, filaceous, filiform, fibrous, fibrillous, thread-like, wiry, stringy, ropy, capillary, capilliform, funicular, wire-drawn, anguilliform, flagelliform, hairy, taeniate, taeniform, taenioid, venose, venous.

Brittleness

VB be brittle, live in a glass house, break, crack, snap, split, shiver, splinter, crumble, break short, burst, fly, give way, fall to pieces, crumble to, crumble into dust.