Splent

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A thin flexible piece of wood or similar material used to bind, reinforce, or splint something ; a small sharp fragment or splinter that breaks off from a larger piece
2. A slender strip of wood employed for binding or support ; a thin pointed piece that separates from a surface or object
3. A narrow wooden strip applied as a brace or binding ; a sharp fragment or chip that detaches from something

Etymology: "Splent" is an older spelling of "splint," and the two forms have been in use side by side since Middle English. The word began as a sense of something split, a thin piece of wood or a strip used to hold things in place. Its Middle Low German and Middle Dutch relatives, "splinte" and "splente," had the same core meaning, and the Germanic root goes back to the idea of splitting. That root is traced to Proto-Germanic "*splintǭ," meaning a piece of wood or splinter, which grew from a verb meaning "to split." Behind that lies a nasalized form of an older verb meaning "to split," and ultimately a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to split, splice." The same family produced Old High German "splinza," meaning a bar, bolt or latch, showing how a splintered strip of wood could become a fastening.

Synonyms: splint