noun · verb · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈfɪʃ.ə/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈfɪʃ.ɚ/
General-American:/ˈfɪʒ.ɚ/
homophone: Fischer
homophone: Fisher
homophone: fisher
homophone: phisher
rhymes with -ɪʃə(ɹ)
CMU ARPABET:F IH1 SH ER0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A long, narrow crack or opening made by breaking or splitting, especially in rock or earth.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A groove, deep furrow, elongated cleft or tear between body parts or in the substance of an organ.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A break or slit in tissue usually at the junction of skin and mucous membrane.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A state of incompatibility or disagreement.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: schism
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
To split, forming fissures.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
(anatomy) a long narrow slit or groove that divides an organ into lobes
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: groove, vallecula
Narrower terms: sulcus, hilus, hilum
7
noun
Meaning 7
a long narrow opening
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: crevice, cranny, crack, chap
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: depression, impression, imprint
9
verb
Meaning 9
break into fissures or fine cracks
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: crack
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bheyd- Proto-Indo-European *-né- Proto-Indo-European *-ti Proto-Indo-European *bhinédti Proto-Italic *findō Latin findō Proto-Indo-European *-tew-? Proto-Indo-European *-r-eh2? Latin -tūra Latin fissūrader. Old French fissurebor. Middle English fissure English fissure From Middle English fissure, from Old French fissure, from Latin fissūra (“a cleft, chink”), from findō (“to cleave, split, divide”) + -tūra (nominal suffix).
Across languages
Translations
86 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
شَقّ
(šaqq)
— crack or opening
Arabic:
صَدْع
(ṣadʕ)
— crack or opening
Armenian:
ճաք
(čakʻ)
— crack or opening
Azerbaijani:
çat
— crack or opening
Azerbaijani:
çatlaq
— crack or opening
Azerbaijani:
yarıq
— crack or opening
Bulgarian:
цепнатина
(cepnatina)
— crack or opening
Bulgarian:
пукнатина
(puknatina)
— crack or opening
Catalan:
fissura
— crack or opening
Chinese Mandarin:
裂縫 /裂缝
(lièfèng)
— crack or opening
Danish:
revne
— crack or opening
Danish:
sprække
— crack or opening
Dutch:
spleet
— crack or opening
Esperanto:
fendo
— crack or opening
Finnish:
halkeama
— crack or opening
Finnish:
fissuura
— crack or opening
French:
fissure
— crack or opening
Galician:
laño
— crack or opening
Galician:
laña
— crack or opening
Galician:
granipela
— crack or opening
Galician:
fisura
— crack or opening
German:
Riss
— crack or opening
German:
Spalte
— crack or opening
German:
Chlack
— crack or opening
Ancient Greek:
ῥωχμός
(rhōkhmós)
— crack or opening
Indonesian:
keretakan
— crack or opening
Ingrian:
lonka
— crack or opening
Irish:
gág
— crack or opening
Japanese:
裂け目
(sakeme)
— crack or opening
Japanese:
割れ目
(wareme)
— crack or opening
Northern Kurdish:
qelîş
— crack or opening
Latin:
rīma
— crack or opening
Latin:
fissura
— crack or opening
Macedonian:
пукна́тина
(puknátina)
— crack or opening
Macedonian:
ра́сцеп
(ráscep)
— crack or opening
Macedonian:
цепна́тина
(cepnátina)
— crack or opening
Malayalam:
വിള്ളൽ
(viḷḷal)
— crack or opening
Māori:
piere
— crack or opening
Persian:
شکاف
(šekâf)
— crack or opening
Persian:
چاک
(čâk)
— crack or opening
Persian:
رخنه
(rexne)
— crack or opening
Polish:
szczelina
— crack or opening
Portuguese:
fissura
— crack or opening
Romanian:
fisură
— crack or opening
Romanian:
crăpătură
— crack or opening
Russian:
тре́щина
(tréščina)
— crack or opening
Russian:
расще́лина
(rasščélina)
— crack or opening
Serbo-Croatian:
расцеп
— crack or opening
Serbo-Croatian:
rascep
— crack or opening
Slovak:
trhlina
— crack or opening
Slovak:
prasklina
— crack or opening
Slovak:
puklina
— crack or opening
Slovak:
škára
— crack or opening
Spanish:
grieta
— crack or opening
Spanish:
fisura
— crack or opening
Swedish:
rämna
— crack or opening
Swedish:
spricka
— crack or opening
Turkish:
çatlak
— crack or opening
Turkish:
yarık
— crack or opening
Ottoman Turkish:
آرالق
(aralık)
— crack or opening
