Splinter
/ˈsplɪn.tər/noun
A small thin piece broken off from a larger piece of wood, glass, or similar material.
Did you know?The word ultimately belongs to an old Germanic family of words for splitting and shivering apart, which also gave English the idea of a split or fracture in other forms.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*splei-
“to split, cleave”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*splinþra-
“a splinter, chip, or fragment”
Old English
OE
splenter
“a splinter or small fragment”
Middle English
ME
splinter
“a splinter, chip, or small sharp fragment”
Modern English
English
splinter
“a small thin piece broken off from a larger piece”