sliver en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
- /ˈsləvə/ (New-Zealand)
- /ˈslɪvəɾ/ (Scotland)
- (US) audio
- /ˈslɪvɚ/ (US)
- /ˈslɪvə/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From Middle English slivere, sliver from Middle English sliven (“to cut, cleave, split”), from Old English slīfan (as in tōslīfan (“to split, split up”)).
Meanings
-
A long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment.
This is the tasting ritual, the lay Eucharist of cheese. The buyer squeezes the sliver of cheese between his fingers to test its consistency, sniffs it, and then tastes it as delicately as if it were the most subtle caviar.
1972, Félix Martí-Ibáñez, The mirror of souls, and other essays, page 339:A sliver of bone has punctured a lung, and a small surgical operation was needed to remove it (would he like to keep the bone as a memento?--it is in a phial by his bedside).
2013, J. M. Coetzee, chapter 27, in The Childhood of Jesus, Melbourne, Australia: The Text Publishing Company, page 270:
- (Canada, Essex, Kent, qualifier:Sussex; Upper Midwestern US; Sussex; Upper Midwestern US) A long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment. ▸ Specifically, a splinter caught under the skin.
- A strand, or slender roll, of cotton or other fiber in a loose, untwisted state, produced by a carding machine and ready for the roving or slubbing which precedes spinning.
- Bait made of pieces of small fish.
- (New-York, US) A narrow high-rise apartment building.
- A small amount of something; a drop in the bucket; a shred.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| slivers | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
slivercasting · sliverlike · slivery · sliverous · sliver moon
Relateds
Synonyms
atom · grain · pennyworth · smithereen · skoosh · ooch · glimmer · drop · trifle · hooter · tad · thought · scrap · vestige · shard · scooch · bit · skerrick · touch · tinge · ace · damn · smidgy · spark · spatter · spot · ounce · dot · dash · soupçon · whiff · splinter · slice · mite · pinch · jot · semblance · piece · splinter · speck · glint · scintilla · mote · diddly · sprinkle · morceau · dusting · continental · relish · shred · strain · aught · atomy · whit · tidge · smidge · speckle · spill · flyspeck · iota · scruple · spelk · smidgen · scent · fleck · lick · smitch · sliver · sprinkling · dab · halfpennyworth · morsel · molecule · bissel · slice · trace · tittle · tidbit · crumb · tuppence worth · particle · inch · flip · glimpse · smattering · scantling · modicum · smidget · shard · hoot · skosh · toddick · ounce · bit · hint
Translations (64)
tr ince dilim (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · ro așchie (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · mi hōripi (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · es chin (a small amount) · sv livagn (bait made of pieces of small fish) · ru оско́лок (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · fr tour (New York: narrow high-rise apartment building) · ru ще́пка (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · it spezzone (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · tr şerit (strand or slender roll of cotton or other fiber in a loose, untwisted state) · cs odřezek (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · es edificio (New York: narrow high-rise apartment building) · de kleiner Teil (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · sv sticka (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · fi säle (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · is flaski (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · bg вълмо (strand or slender roll of cotton or other fiber in a loose, untwisted state) · ltg ževers (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · es rebanadita (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · es rascacielos (New York: narrow high-rise apartment building) · gl estela (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · sl trska (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · fr éclat (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · it grattacielo (New York: narrow high-rise apartment building) · pdt Spekja (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · cs odštěpek (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · sk štiepka (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · sv flisa (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · pt lasca (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · de Faserband (strand or slender roll of cotton or other fiber in a loose, untwisted state) · es astilla (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · sv speta (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · de Band (strand or slender roll of cotton or other fiber in a loose, untwisted state) · bg треска (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · fi tikku (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · ltg skaida (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · fr gratte-ciel (New York: narrow high-rise apartment building) · es pizca (a small amount) · gl acha (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · tr kıymık (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · lv skaida (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · zza qırm (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · mi kōripi (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · es esquirla (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · fr languette (bait made of pieces of small fish) · ko 조각 (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · es tira (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · sk trieska (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · ru дом-точка (New York: narrow high-rise apartment building) · de Spreißel (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · fi kuontalo (strand or slender roll of cotton or other fiber in a loose, untwisted state) · it scaglia (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · de kleines Stück (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · cmn 裂片 (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · is flís (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · it frammento (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · txb ṣat (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · de Splitter (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · fr écharde (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · es cebo lengüeta (bait made of pieces of small fish) · tr kordon (strand or slender roll of cotton or other fiber in a loose, untwisted state) · cs tříska (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · ro surcea (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment) · it scheggia (long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment)