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Shard dates back to Old English (where it was spelled sceard) and is related to Old English scieran, meaning "to cut." English speakers have adopted the modernized shard spelling for most uses, but archaeologists prefer to spell the word sherd when referring to the ancient fragments of pottery (sometimes referred to specifically as potsherds) they unearth. While shard initially referred to exactly such items, today the word is also used more broadly to encompass slivers of intangible concepts. A baseless accusation may be made "without a shard of evidence," and fans of the losing team may "cling to a shard of hope" until the final score. The utility of shard is its, ahem, point.
Examples of shard in a Sentence
Moná Thomas, People.com, 11 June 2025
Tiny shards of red, black and purple glass littered the pavement.
—CBS News, 10 June 2025
His dramas, rarely built on tightly interlocking shards of plot, are instead propelled by ambient forces: blasts of music, gusts of chatter.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 2 May 2025
Three different breads from Upper Crust Bakery LP were also recalled over shards of glass on top of the loaves, and rolled oats produced by Grain Millers were recalled for plastic contamination.
—Jenna Anderson, Health, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for shard
Cite this Entry
“Shard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shard. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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shard
noun
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