Standard Lemma guide

splint

noun · verb · 15 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.

  • /splɪnt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪnt
  • CMU ARPABET: S P L IH1 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A narrow strip of wood split or peeled from a larger piece.

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 narrow strip of wood split or peeled from a larger piece.

A splinter caught in the skin.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: West-Midlands

Qualifier: Cheshire

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A dental device applied consequent to undergoing orthodontia.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: dentistry, medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A device to immobilize a body part.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A segment of armour consisting of a narrow overlapping plate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Synonym of splent coal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: business, mining

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: splent coal

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A bone found on either side of a horse's cannon bone; the second or fourth metacarpal (forelimb) or metatarsal (hindlimb) bone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, natural-sciences, zoology, zootomy

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A disease affecting the splint bones, as a callosity or hard excrescence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, medicine, natural-sciences, pathology, sciences, veterinary, zoology, zootomy

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To apply a splint to; to fasten with splints.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

To support one's abdomen with hands or a pillow before attempting to cough.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

verb

Meaning 11

To press fingers against the vaginal wall to ease defecation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

verb

Meaning 12

To split into thin, slender pieces; to splinter.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, rare, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

noun

Meaning 13

an orthopedic mechanical device used to immobilize and protect a part of the body (as a broken leg)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mechanical device

14

noun

Meaning 14

a thin sliver of wood

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he lit the fire with a burning splint

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: paring, sliver, shaving

15

verb

Meaning 15

support with a splint

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • splint a broken finger

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: treat, care for

History

Etymology

From Middle English splint, splent, splente, from Middle Low German splinte, splente or Middle Dutch splint, splinte. Cognate with Old High German splinza (“bar, bolt, latch”). All ultimately from Proto-Germanic *splintǭ, *splintō (“piece of wood, splinter”), from Proto-Germanic *splint-, *splind- (“to split”), from a nasalized form of *splītaną (“to split”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pley- (“to split, splice”).

Across languages

Translations

97 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: ashkël — narrow strip of wood
  • Bulgarian: тънка ивица (tǎnka ivica) — narrow strip of wood
  • Bulgarian: лента (lenta) — narrow strip of wood
  • Catalan: fèrula — narrow strip of wood
  • Finnish: säle — narrow strip of wood
  • French: éclisse — narrow strip of wood
  • Galician: tala — narrow strip of wood
  • Hungarian: gyújtópálca — narrow strip of wood
  • Irish: spliota — narrow strip of wood
  • Irish: meathán (in basketweaving) — narrow strip of wood
  • Italian: scheggia — narrow strip of wood
  • Italian: scaglia — narrow strip of wood
  • Italian: frammento — narrow strip of wood
  • Italian: stecca — narrow strip of wood
  • Japanese: 添木 (soegi) — narrow strip of wood
  • Latvian: skaida — narrow strip of wood
  • Middle English: splente — narrow strip of wood
  • Norwegian Bokmål: splint — narrow strip of wood
  • Norwegian Bokmål: flis — narrow strip of wood
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: splint — narrow strip of wood
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: flis — narrow strip of wood
  • Portuguese: férula — narrow strip of wood
  • Portuguese: tala — narrow strip of wood
  • Romanian: așchie — narrow strip of wood
  • Russian: щепа́ (ščepá) — narrow strip of wood
  • Russian: ще́пка (ščépka) — narrow strip of wood
  • Russian: дра́нка (dránka) — narrow strip of wood
  • Russian: лы́ко (lýko) — narrow strip of wood
  • Serbo-Croatian: и̏вер — narrow strip of wood
  • Serbo-Croatian: тре̏ска — narrow strip of wood
  • Serbo-Croatian: ȉver — narrow strip of wood
  • Serbo-Croatian: trȅska — narrow strip of wood
  • Slovak: latka — narrow strip of wood
  • Afrikaans: spalk — immobilizing device
  • Bulgarian: ши́на (šína) — immobilizing device
  • Catalan: fèrula — immobilizing device
  • Czech: dlaha — immobilizing device
  • Dutch: spalk — immobilizing device
  • Finnish: lasta — immobilizing device
  • French: attelle — immobilizing device
  • Galician: férula — immobilizing device
  • German: Schiene — immobilizing device
  • German: Gipsschiene — immobilizing device
  • Ancient Greek: νάρθηξ (nárthēx) — immobilizing device
  • Hebrew: סד (sad) — immobilizing device
  • Hungarian: sín — immobilizing device
  • Icelandic: spelka — immobilizing device
  • Indonesian: bidai — immobilizing device
  • Italian: stecca — immobilizing device
  • Italian: tutore — immobilizing device
  • Japanese: スプリント (supurinto) — immobilizing device
  • Latin: serperastrum — immobilizing device
  • Lithuanian: įtvaras — immobilizing device
  • Māori: tāhū — immobilizing device
  • Middle English: splente — immobilizing device
  • Norwegian: spjelke — immobilizing device
  • Polish: szyna — immobilizing device
  • Portuguese: tala — immobilizing device
  • Romanian: atelă — immobilizing device
  • Russian: ши́на (šína) — immobilizing device
  • Russian: лубо́к (lubók) — immobilizing device
  • Serbo-Croatian: у̏длага — immobilizing device
  • Serbo-Croatian: ȕdlaga — immobilizing device
  • Slovak: dlaha — immobilizing device
  • Spanish: férula — immobilizing device
  • Spanish: tablilla — immobilizing device
  • Swedish: skena — immobilizing device
  • Tagalog: balangkat — immobilizing device
  • Turkish: atel — immobilizing device
  • Ottoman Turkish: تخته (tahta) — immobilizing device
  • Ukrainian: ши́на (šýna) — immobilizing device
  • Vietnamese: nẹp — immobilizing device
  • Bulgarian: ши́на (šína) — dental device
  • German: Protrusionsschiene — dental device
  • Italian: protesi — dental device
  • Finnish: levy — segment of armor
  • Italian: lamella — segment of armor
  • Italian: piastra — segment of armor
  • Middle English: splente — segment of armor
  • Bulgarian: надкостница (nadkostnica) — bone of a horse
  • Finnish: puikkoluu — bone of a horse
  • Italian: soprosso — bone of a horse
  • Italian: schinella — bone of a horse
  • Italian: spinella — bone of a horse
  • Italian: esostosi — bone of a horse
  • Bulgarian: шинирам (šiniram) — apply splint
  • Czech: zpevnit dlahou — apply splint
  • Czech: dát do dlahy — apply splint
  • Czech: zadlahovat — apply splint
  • Dutch: spalken — apply splint
  • Finnish: lastoittaa — apply splint
  • Middle English: splenten — apply splint
  • Norwegian: spjelke — apply splint
  • Russian: накла́дывать ши́ну (nakládyvatʹ šínu) — apply splint
  • Spanish: entablillar — apply splint
  • Ukrainian: накла́дати ши́ну (nakládaty šýnu) — apply splint
  • Ukrainian: накла́сти ши́ну (naklásty šýnu) — apply splint
Real reading context

splint in complete knowledge articles