Etymology
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splint (n.)

c. 1300, "overlapping plate or strip in armor" (made of metal splints), probably from Middle Low German splinte, splente "thin piece of iron," related to Middle Dutch splinte "splint," probably literally "thin piece cut off," and from a Germanic offshoot of PIE *(s)plei- "to split, splice" (see flint). Cognate with Danish splint "splinter," Swedish splint "wooden peg, wedge." Meaning "slender, flexible slip of wood" is recorded from early 14c.; specific surgical sense is attested from c. 1400.

Entries linking to splint

flint (n.)

Old English flint "flint; a type of rock noted for hardness and for giving off sparks when struck," from Proto-Germanic *flintaz (source also of Middle Dutch vlint, Old High German flins, Danish flint), from PIE *splind- "to split, cleave," from root *(s)plei- "to splice, split" (source also of Greek plinthos "brick, tile," Old Irish slind "brick"), perhaps a variant of *spel- (1) "to split, break off." Transferred senses (hardness, etc.) were in Old English.

splinter (n.)

early 14c., from Middle Dutch splinter, splenter "a splinter," related to splinte (see splint). The adjective (in splinter party, etc.) is first recorded 1935, from the noun.

updated on November 10, 2013

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Dictionary entries near splint

spleno-

splenomegaly

splice

spliff

spline

splint

splinter

split

split-level

split-screen

split-second

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