rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryshardBroken fragment
noun

shard

SHARD/ʃɑːrd/

A fragment broken from a hard whole.

The pottery shard matches the section missing from the broken bowl.

A single large, sharp pottery fragment in the foreground, with a broken bowl behind it whose missing section matches the fragment.
Etymology
shardOld Englishcleft; broken piece

Old English sceard covered both a cleft or gap and a broken piece. The modern sense preserves the fragment side of that meaning, especially a piece of broken pottery or glass.

In context

History Hit72:00
This is just a broken shard of pottery absolutely covered in writing.
The Greatest Archaeological Discoveries and Artefacts of Recent Years | Full Series

More examples

  • She carefully sweeps the pottery shards into a dustpan.
  • A sharp shard of metal punctures the tire.
  • Shards of ice scatter across the frozen pond.

Forms

shard · shards

Similar words

fragment
A broader term for a piece of any whole.
splinter
Usually a thin, pointed piece, especially of wood.
chip
Usually a small piece broken from an edge.