splinter

See also: Splinter

English

WOTD – 1 February 2009

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsplɪntə(ɹ)/
(US) IPA^(key): /ˈsplɪntɚ/, [ˈsplɪɾ̃ɚ]
(Southern American English) IPA^(key): /ˈsplɪnɚ/
Audio (US) (file)
Audio (AU) (file)
Rhymes: -ɪntə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

From Middle English splinter, from Middle Dutch splinter, equivalent to splint +‎ -er.

Noun

splinter (plural splinters)

A long, sharp fragment of material, often wood.
1. A small such fragment that gets embedded in the flesh.
A group that formed by splitting off from a larger membership.
(bridge) A double-jump bid which indicates shortage in the bid suit.

Synonyms

(long sharp fragment): shard, spelk, spill.
(group formed by splitting): faction, splinter group.

Translations

fragment of material

Arabic: شَظِيَّة‎ (ar) f (šaẓiyya)
Armenian: տաշեղ (hy) (tašeł)
Aromanian: ashclji, aschlje
Azerbaijani: tilişkə (az)
Basque: ezpal
Belarusian: ска́бка f (skábka), стрэ́мка f (strémka)
Bulgarian: отло́мък (bg) m (otlómǎk), треска́ (bg) f (treská)
Catalan: estella (ca)
Cherokee: ᎤᏢᏓᎸᏓ (utlvdalvda)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 碎片 (zh) (suìpiàn), 刺 (zh) (cì)
Czech: tříska (cs) f, úlomek (cs) m, odštěpek m
Dalmatian: sčela f
Danish: splint c
Dutch: splinter (nl) m
Esperanto: splito
Estonian: pind (et), kild (et)
Finnish: säle (fi) (wood), sirpale (fi), pirstale (fi)
French: éclat (fr) m, esquille (fr) f, écharde (fr) f
Friulian: sclese f, scae
Galician: estela (gl) f, racha f, acha (gl) f, pitela f, cavaco m, guizo f, lerca f, escádea f, trisca f, turraca f, lircha f, troupecelo m
Georgian: ხიწვი (xic̣vi), ხიჭვი (xič̣vi)
German: Splitter (de) m, Splinter m, Schiefer (de) m, Spreißel (de) m
Greek: σκλήθρα (el) f (sklíthra), θραύσμα (el) n (thráfsma), (wood) ακίδα (el) f (akída)
Ancient: σχινδάλαμος m (skhindálamos)
Hebrew: קֵיסָם‎ (he) m (kesám), שְׁבָב‎ (he) m (shvav)
Hindi: please add this translation if you can
Hungarian: forgács (hu), szálka (hu)
Irish: scealp f, scealpóg f
Italian: scheggia (it) f
Japanese: 破片 (ja) (はへん, hahen), 刺 (ja) (とげ, toge)
Khmer: ចំរាស (cɑmriəh)
Korean: 조각 (ko) (jogak), 지저깨비 (jijeokkaebi)
Lao: ສ້ຽນ (sīan)
Latin: assula f, schidia f
Latvian: skaida f, skabarga f
Lithuanian: drožlė f, rakštis f
Macedonian: спица f (spica), деланка f (delanka)
Maori: koi (mi)
Norman: êclyi m
Norwegian:
Bokmål: flis m or f
Occitan: astèla f, estèla (oc) f, ascla (oc) f
Old English: speld n
Persian: تریشه‎ (fa) (teriše)
Plautdietsch: Spekja m
Polish: odłamek (pl) m, drzazga (pl) f
Portuguese: farpa (pt) f
Romanian: așchie (ro) f
Russian: ще́пка (ru) f (ščépka), зано́за (ru) f (zanóza) (stuck in a body)
Sardinian: alcia f, ascia f, ascra, astua f, astula f, schedra f, schelda f
Scots: spail, pran
Scottish Gaelic: spealg f
Slovak: trieska f, štiepka f
Slovene: trska (sl) f
Spanish: (wood) astilla (es) f, (bone or metal) esquirla f
Swedish: flisa (sv) c, sticka (sv) c
Tagalog: subyang
Tajik: параха (paraxa)
Thai: เสี้ยน (th) (sîian)
Turkish: kıymık (tr)
Ukrainian: ска́бка f (skábka), ска́лка f (skálka)
Venetian: sgrexénda f, s-cexa (vec) f
Walloon: schete (wa) f
Westrobothnian: stikk f

group

Czech: frakce (cs) f
Dutch: splintergroep
Finnish: sirpaleryhmä
French: faction (fr) f
Galician: bandaría f, bando m, faución f
German: Splittergruppe (de) f
Italian: fazione (it)
Lithuanian: trupinys m
Polish: odłam (pl) m
Portuguese: facção (pt) f
Romanian: factiune f, schisma f
Russian: отщепе́нцы (ru) m pl (otščepéncy)
Slovak: frakcia
Swedish: avknoppning c, utbrytning c, utbrytargrupp c

Etymology 2

From the noun splinter.

Verb

splinter (third-person singular simple present splinters, present participle splintering, simple past and past participle splintered)

(intransitive) To come apart into long sharp fragments.
The tall tree splintered during the storm.
(transitive) To cause to break apart into long sharp fragments.
His third kick splintered the door.
- 1855–1858, William H[ickling] Prescott, History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain, volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Boston, Mass.: Phillips, Sampson, and Company, OCLC 645131689:
  After splintering their lances, they wheeled about, and […] abandoned the field to the enemy.
(figuratively, of a group) To break, or cause to break, into factions.
The government splintered when the coalition members could not agree.
The unpopular new policies splintered the company.
(transitive) To fasten or confine with splinters, or splints, as a broken limb.
- 1659, Matthew Wren, Monarchy Asserted Or The State of Monarchicall & Popular Government
  it will be very hard for Me to Splinter up the broken confuséd Pieces of it.

Related terms

splint
splinter up

Translations

to come apart into splinters

Bulgarian: разцепвам се (razcepvam se)
Czech: štěpit se
Dutch: versplinteren (nl), splinteren (nl)
Finnish: pirstoutua (fi), mennä säpäleiksi
Galician: estelar. espitallar, lascar, lasquear
German: zersplittern (de)
Italian: scheggiarsi (it)
Portuguese: esfarpar
Russian: расщепляться (ru) (rasščepljatʹsja), раскалываться (ru) (raskalyvatʹsja)
Scottish Gaelic: spealg
Slovak: štiepiť sa, rozštiepiť sa
Spanish: astillar (es)

to cause to break apart into splinters

Bulgarian: цепя (bg) (cepja), разцепвам (bg) (razcepvam)
Czech: štípat
Dutch: versplinteren (nl)
Finnish: pirstoa, lyödä säpäleiksi, panna päreiksi
Galician: rachar, estelar. espitallar, lascar, lasquear
German: zersplittern (de)
Italian: scheggiare (it)
Portuguese: esfarpar
Russian: расщеплять (ru) (rasščepljatʹ), раскалывать (ru) (raskalyvatʹ)
Scottish Gaelic: spealg
Slovak: štiepať, rozštiepať, rozbiť, rozbíjať, sekať (sk), rozsekať
Spanish: astillar (es)

to break or cause to break into factions

Bulgarian: разцепвам (bg) (razcepvam)
Czech: odštěpit se (to break)
Finnish: hajota (fi) (to break); hajottaa (fi) (to cause to break)
Italian: fare a pezzi, dividere (it)
Slovak: rozdeliť, rozdeliť sa, štiepiť, rozštiepiť, štiepiť sa, rozštiepiť sa

to fasten or confine with splints

Bulgarian: шинирам (šiniram)
Finnish: lastoittaa (fi)

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch splinter.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈsplɪn.tər/
Audio (file)
Hyphenation: splin‧ter
Rhymes: -ɪntər

Noun

splinter m (plural splinters, diminutive splintertje n)

splinter (long, sharp fragment of material)

Derived terms

splinterpartij

Descendants

Negerhollands: splinter
→ Papiamentu: spleenter (dated)