Definition: a small thin sharp bit or wood or glass or metal
Usage: he got a splinter in his finger; it broke into slivers
Definition: break up into splinters or slivers
Usage: The wood splintered
Definition: divide into slivers or splinters
Main entry: break away, secede, splinter
Definition: withdraw from an organization or communion
Usage: After the break up of the Soviet Union, many republics broke away