sliver

[ sliv-er ]

noun

1. a small, slender, often sharp piece, as of wood or glass, split, broken, or cut off, usually lengthwise or with the grain; splinter.
2. any small, narrow piece or portion:

   A sliver of sky was visible.

3. a strand of loose, untwisted fibers produced in carding.

verb (used with object)

1. to split or cut off (a sliver) or to split or cut into slivers:

   to sliver a log into kindling.

2. to form (textile fibers) into slivers.

verb (used without object)

1. to split.

sliver

/ ˈslɪvə /

noun

1. a thin piece that is cut or broken off lengthwise; splinter
2. a loose strand or fibre obtained by carding

verb

1. to divide or be divided into splinters; split
2. tr to form (wool, etc) into slivers

Derived Forms

• ˈsliver-ˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• sliver·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sliver¹

1325–75; Middle English slivere (noun), derivative of sliven to split, Old English -slīfan (in tōslīfan to split up

Word History and Origins

Origin of sliver¹

C14: from sliven to split

Example Sentences

We’re talking about a tiny, tiny sliver of the population.”

From Salon

In Italian cuisine, it’s called piccata, which refers to a thin sliver of meat.

From Salon

Nick Curtis was more cutting with his two star review in the Standard, saying Paddington in Peru "misses the easy charm, the fluency and the icy sliver of jeopardy" from the first two movies "which had genuine cross-generational appeal".

From BBC

I can just express what I know a lot of women have been feeling: exhausted sadness that any sliver of joy this campaign season had has been sucked away by a vindictive, babbling old man and his crybaby minions.

From Salon

When Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016, America still had a sliver of plausible deniability.

From Slate

Related Words

• flake
• fragment
• shaving
• shred
• slice
• snippet