fragment
pronunciation
How to pronounce fragment in British English: UK [ˈfræɡmənt , fræɡˈment]
How to pronounce fragment in American English: US [ˈfræɡmənt , fræɡˈment]
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- Noun:
- a piece broken off or cut off of something else
- a broken piece of a brittle artifact
- an incomplete piece
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- Verb:
- break or cause to break into pieces
Word Origin
- fragment (n.)
- early 15c., "small piece or part," from Latin fragmentum "a fragment, remnant," literally "a piece broken off," from root of frangere "to break" (see fraction).
- fragment (v.)
- by 1788 (implied in fragmented), from fragment (n.). Intransitive use from 1961. Related: Fragmenting.
Example
- 1. The 27-country single market could fragment as decision-making gravitates to an inner core .
- 2. King helped translate and unveiled the tiny fragment at a conference of coptic experts in rome .
- 3. It was but yesterday I thought myself a fragment quivering without rhythm in the sphere of life .
- 4. Alas , I only found a pilish fragment of length 5 .
- 5. As data accumulate and disciplines fragment into subdisciplines , the search for some comprehensive synthesis seems both more appealing and more hopeless .