shard

Also sherd

[shahrd]

noun

1. a fragment, especially of broken earthenware.

2. Zoology.

   1. a scale.

   2. a shell, as of an egg or snail.

3. Entomology.,  an elytron of a beetle.

shard

/ ʃɑːd /

noun

1. a broken piece or fragment of a brittle substance, esp of pottery

2. zoology a tough sheath, scale, or shell, esp the elytra of a beetle

Word History and Origins

Origin of shard¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English sceard; cognate with Low German, Dutch schaard; akin to shear

Word History and Origins

Origin of shard¹

Old English sceard; related to Old Norse skarth notch, Middle High German scharte notch

Example Sentences

To be fair, there are shards of plausibility in that narrative, as is generally true of effective propaganda.

Read more on Salon

Then all that remains are the fading memories of golden ages—and the broken shards of discarded amphorae.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In a magnitude 8 or above, he said most buildings downtown would see all their glass shattered, and major casualties would likely be from falling shards — not collapsing buildings.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The cemetery temporarily shut down in 2000 when, in response to a complaint, state investigators showed up and found bone fragments and casket shards strewn on the grounds.

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Watching Davis travel through the site, gathering pieces of metal, shards of ceramics and glass — there were things to salvage, just as her father always had.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fragment 
• particle 
• remnant