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noun

shard

shahd

Shard (noun) means a sharp broken piece of glass, pottery, or similar brittle material. Example: “He cut his foot on a shard of glass hidden in the sand.”

noun
1
A sharp broken piece of glass, pottery, or similar brittle material.
"He cut his foot on a shard of glass hidden in the sand."
"Archaeologists found shards of ancient pottery at the site."
2
In computing, one segment of a database or online game world that has been split up to spread the load across multiple servers.
"The game assigns each new player to a shard with lighter traffic."

How to use shard

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA sharp broken fragment, or (in tech) one partitioned piece of a larger system.

Common pairings
shard of glass pottery shards database shard

Word forms

sharded past tense, shards plural, shards singular

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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

He cut his foot on a _____ of glass hidden in the sand.

Etymology

From Old English sceard, "a broken piece," related to an old root meaning "to cut."

Origin: Old English

fragment sherd

Related words

Rhymes for shard

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Frequently asked questions

What does “shard” mean?

The word “shard” means a sharp broken piece of glass, pottery, or similar brittle material. In plain terms, a sharp broken fragment, or (in tech) one partitioned piece of a larger system.

How do you pronounce “shard”?

“Shard” is pronounced shahd (/ʃɑɹd/ in IPA).

How do you use “shard” in a sentence?

Here is “shard” used in a sentence: “He cut his foot on a shard of glass hidden in the sand.”

What part of speech is “shard”?

“Shard” is a noun.

Where does the word “shard” come from?

The word “shard” comes from Old English. From Old English sceard, "a broken piece," related to an old root meaning "to cut.".

How many meanings does “shard” have?

“Shard” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a sharp broken piece of glass, pottery, or similar brittle material.

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Definitions: FreeDict original editorial