Main Entry: ¹frac·ture

Pronunciation: \ˈfrak-chər, -shər\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Latin fractura, from fractus

Date: 15th century

1 : the result of fracturing : break
2 a : the act or process of breaking or the state of being broken; especially : the breaking of hard tissue (as bone) b : the rupture (as by tearing) of soft tissue <kidney fracture>
3 : the general appearance of a freshly broken surface of a mineral