splinter

Universal Words noun, verb noun a small thin sharp piece of wood, metal, glass, etc. that has broken off a larger piece: splinters of glass * to remove a splinter from your finger verb 1 (of wood, glass, stone, etc.) to break, or to make sth break, into small, thin sharp pieces: [V] The mirror cracked but did not splinter. * The vase splintered into a thousand pieces. * [VN] The impact splintered the wood. 2 [V] (of a group of people) to divide into smaller groups that are no longer connected; to separate from a larger group: The party began to splinter. * Several firms have splintered off from the original company.