Spalt
/spɔːlt/; also /spɛlt/ as an archaic past tense of “split”noun
A splinter, chip, or fragment; also an obsolete or dialectal past tense of “split.”
Did you know?“Spalt” belongs to the same ancient Germanic word-family as “split” and “spall,” preserving an old linguistic image of wood or material being forced apart.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*spel-
“To split, cleave, or tear apart; a reconstructed root rather than a directly recorded word.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*spalt-
“A split, cleft, or separated fragment; reconstructed Germanic formation related to dividing or breaking.”
Middle English
ME
spalten / spalt
“Forms associated with splitting or a split fragment, appearing in the broader Germanic vocabulary of cleaving and breaking.”
16th–17th Century
English
spalt
“A dialectal or technical noun meaning a splinter, chip, or small fragment.”
Modern English
English
spalt
“A rare, archaic, or dialectal word for a splinter or fragment; also encountered as an obsolete form of “split.””