Splinter Meaning
/ˈsplɪn.tə/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA long, sharp fragment of material, often wood.
nounA long, sharp fragment of material, often wood., A small such fragment that gets embedded in the flesh.
Sentence Examples
I can't get this splinter out of my finger.
I ran a splinter into my finger.
CEFR Practice Quiz
After hitting the old wooden chair with a hammer, a sharp ____ flew into his finger.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I got a tiny ____ of wood in my finger while I was working in the garden without my gloves on.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English splenter, splinter, from Middle Dutch splinter, equivalent to splint + -er.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"It was all coming at her now: the fatigue and the fever; pieces of her lung splintering and mixing with her throwup; the calcifications on her bones, where the disease had already spread."
— 2012, Marcus Samuelsson, “One: My African Mother”, in Yes, Chef, Random House, →ISBN, page 6:
"After splintering their lances, they wheeled about, and […] abandoned the field to the enemy."
— 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:
"it will be very hard for Me to Splinter up the broken confuséd Pieces of it."
— 1659, Matthew Wren, Monarchy Asserted Or The State of Monarchicall & Popular Government:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After hitting the old wooden chair with a hammer, a sharp ____ flew into his finger.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I got a tiny ____ of wood in my finger while I was working in the garden without my gloves on.