splinter
splinter Lexical Profile
splinter Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A small, thin, sharp piece of wood, glass, bone, or similar hard material broken off from a larger body, especially one that becomes embedded under the skin.
"She used a pair of tweezers to carefully remove a wooden splinter from her thumb."
A smaller group or faction that has broken away from a larger political, religious, or social organization due to a disagreement.
"After the heated convention, a radical splinter formed its own independent political party."
• verb
To break or cause to break into small, thin, sharp fragments.
"The heavy oak door began to splinter under the force of the impact."
To divide or separate into smaller, often competing factions or groups (of an organization, movement, or coalition).
"Disagreements over economic policy caused the ruling coalition to splinter before the election."
• Rhymes for splinter
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'splinter', borrowed from Middle Dutch 'splinter' (related to 'splint'), ultimately from the Proto-Germanic root meaning 'to split' or 'cleave'.