Slinters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Tiny, sharp fragments broken off from wood, glass, or similar materials that can cause minor injuries; small thin pieces or shards characterized by a pointed edge; minute slivers or chips that easily embed in skin or surfaces
2. Small narrow shards that detach from a larger solid material, often wood, penetrating skin or objects as slender, pointed bits; tiny fragmented splinters resulting from breakage; thin sharp fragments that commonly emerge from brittle or fibrous substances
3. Fine pointed shards that separate from harder substances such as wood or composites, typically causing discomfort upon contact; narrow, slender pieces broken off and capable of puncturing; small, sharp fragments derived from splitting or cracking materials

Etymology: "Slinters" is the plural of "slinter", a term that began as South African slang. Its root is Afrikaans "slenter", meaning a scam or swindle, which was itself borrowed from Dutch "schlenter", meaning a trick. The Dutch and Afrikaans sense of cheating or fooling someone is a long way from the sharp fragments the word now describes. The shift from trickery to splinters is the surprising part, and the link between the two senses is not something the sources explain. The English slang meaning took hold in South Africa, where the word was used in everyday speech, and the plural form "slinters" follows the regular English pattern for a noun ending in a consonant plus "-er".

Synonyms: splinters, shards, chips, fragments, shards

Antonyms: whole pieces, blocks, chunks