breakage

[ brey-kij ]

noun

1. the act of breaking; break; state of being broken. break.
2. the amount or quantity of things broken: break:

   There was a great deal of breakage in that shipment of glassware.

3. an allowance or compensation for the loss or damage of articles broken break in transit or in use.
4. the money accrued by a racetrack from calculating the payoff to winning pari-mutuel bettors only in multiples of dimes for each dollar bet.

breakage

/ ˈbreɪkɪdʒ /

noun

1. the act or result of breaking
2. the quantity or amount broken

   the total breakage was enormous

3. compensation or allowance for goods damaged while in use, transit, etc

Other Words From

• re·breakage noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of breakage¹

First recorded in 1805–15; break + -age

Example Sentences

Osteoporosis is a skeletal condition that leads to the weakening of bones, making them porous, fragile, and prone to breakage.

From Science Daily

I just switched over to using Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector because my hair has had a lot of breakage from getting it colored.

From New York Times

Nine years ago, he joined a few colleagues in speculating that the baby tooth helped to stabilize the permanent tooth against sideways breakage as it erupted.

From Science Daily

The breakage was stimulated by muscle contractions and accompanied by the presence of specific signaling proteins called growth differentiation factor-5 and beta-catenin.

From Science Magazine

Signs of breakage and subsequent carving indicate some broken tools were recycled—whittled and polished into smaller implements.

From Science Magazine