Chip
/tʃɪp/noun
A small piece broken off from a larger whole, or a small thin slice cut from something.
Did you know?The word is linked to old Germanic roots for splitting and cutting, which is why it still carries the sense of something severed from a larger body rather than something merely small.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*keip-
“to split, cut, or notch”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*kip- / *kipp-
“to cut or split off”
Old English
OE
cipp
“a piece cut or broken off; a splinter”
Middle English
ME
chippe
“a small piece broken from wood or stone”
Modern English
English
chip
“a small piece broken off or cut from something”