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Splinter vs Mend - What's the difference?

splinter | mend |

As verbs the difference between splinter and mend

is that splinter is to come apart into long sharp fragments while mend is to feed.

As a noun splinter

is a long, sharp fragment of material, often wood.

splinter

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A long, sharp fragment of material, often wood.
  • A group that formed by splitting off from a larger membership.
  • Synonyms

    * (long sharp fragment) shard, spelk. * (group formed by splitting) faction, splinter group.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To come apart into long sharp fragments.
  • The tall tree splintered during the storm.
  • To cause to break apart into long sharp fragments.
  • His third kick splintered the door.
  • * Prescott
  • After splintering their lances, they wheeled about, and abandoned the field to the enemy.
  • (figuratively, of a group) To break, or cause to break, into factions.
  • The government splintered when the coalition members could not agree.
    The unpopular new policies splintered the company.
  • To fasten or confine with splinters, or splints, as a broken limb.
  • (Bishop Wren)

    mend

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A place, as in clothing, which has been repaired by mending.
  • The act of repairing.
  • My trousers have a big rip in them and need a mend .

    Derived terms

    * on the mend

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To repair, as anything that is torn, broken, defaced, decayed, or the like; to restore from partial decay, injury, or defacement; to patch up; to put in shape or order again; to re-create; as, to mend a garment or a machine.
  • My trousers have a big rip in them and need mending .
    When your car breaks down, you can take it to the garage to have it mended .
  • To alter for the better; to set right; to reform; hence, to quicken; as, to mend one's manners or pace.
  • Her stutter was mended by a speech therapist.
    My broken heart was mended .
  • * Sir W. Temple
  • The best service they could do the state was to mend the lives of the persons who composed it.
  • To help, to advance, to further; to add to.
  • * Mortimer
  • Though in some lands the grass is but short, yet it mends garden herbs and fruit.
  • * Shakespeare
  • You mend the jewel by wearing it.
  • To grow better; to advance to a better state; to become improved.
  • Derived terms

    * mend one's pace
    Synonyms
    * See also