shard (redirected from shards)

shard  (shärd) also sherd (shûrd)

n.

1. A piece of broken pottery, especially one found in an archaeological dig; a potsherd.

2.

a. A fragment of a brittle substance, as of glass or metal.

b. A small piece or part: "shards of intense emotional relationships that once existed" Maggie Scarf.

3. Zoology

a. A tough sheath or covering, such as a shell, scale, or plate.

b. The elytron or outer wing covering of a beetle.

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[Middle English sherd, from Old English sceard, cut, notch; see sker-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

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shard

Noun

a broken piece or fragment of pottery, glass, or metal [Old English sceard]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

shard - a broken piece of a brittle artifact sherd, fragment piece - a separate part of a whole; "an important piece of the evidence" potsherd - a shard of pottery