1
a
: a piece or fragment of a brittle substance
shards of glass
broadly : a small piece or part : scrap
little shards of time and space recorded by the camera's lens Rosalind Krauss
b
: shell, scale
especially : elytron
2
or sherd : a fragment of a pottery vessel found on sites and in refuse deposits where pottery-making peoples have lived
3
: highly angular curved glass fragments of tuffaceous sediments

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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

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Unlike centralized clouds, where data shards are mutable, decentralized nodes make shards immutable and cryptographically secured, preventing unauthorized reconstruction. Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025 Her mug of vodka cracks, leaking alcohol onto her computer, which then explodes, sending a shard of glass flying into her throat. Gayle Sequeira, Vulture, 16 May 2025 His successors must do without such yarns, and content themselves with shards of talk scattered to the breeze. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 25 Apr. 2025 Finding a shattered ceramic pot in the backyard is not uncommon—unless the shards turn out to be the work of one of the 20th century's most significant ceramicists. Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shard

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English sceard; akin to Old English scieran to cut — more at shear

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of shard was before the 12th century

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Cite this Entry

“Shard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shard. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

shard

noun
: a piece or fragment of something brittle (as pottery)

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