frac·ture (fr k ch r)n. 1. a. The act or process of breaking. b. The condition of having been broken or ruptured: "a sudden and irreparable fracture of the established order" (W. Bruce Lincoln). 2. A break, rupture, or crack, especially in bone or cartilage. 3. Mineralogy a. The characteristic manner in which a mineral breaks. b. The characteristic appearance of the surface of a broken mineral. 4. Geology A crack or fault in a rock. v. frac·tured, frac·tur·ing, frac·tures v.tr. 1. a. To cause to break: The impact fractured a bone. b. To undergo a break in (a bone): He fractured his ankle in the fall. 2. To disrupt or destroy as if by breaking: fractured the delicate balance of power. 3. To abuse or misuse flagrantly, as by violating rules: ignorant writers who fracture the language. 4. Slang To cause to laugh heartily: "Jack Benny fractured audiences . . . for more than 50 years" (Newsweek). v.intr. To undergo a fracture. See Synonyms at break. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin fr  ct ra, from frctus, past participle of frangere, to break; see bhreg- in Indo-European roots.] |
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