A piece of broken pottery, especially one found in an archaeological dig; a potsherd.
1. A fragment of a brittle substance, as of glass or metal.
2. A small piece or part: "shards of intense emotional relationships that once existed" (Maggie Scarf).
3. A tough sheath or covering, such as a shell, scale, or plate.
4. The elytron or outer wing covering of a beetle.
Zoology
1. A tough sheath or covering, such as a shell, scale, or plate.
2. The elytron or outer wing covering of a beetle.

[Middle English sherd, from Old English sceard, cut, notch; see sker-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

Word Origin & History

shard

O.E. sceard "fragment, gap," from P.Gmc. *skardas, a pp. from the root of O.E. sceran "to cut" (see shear). Cf. Du. schaard "a flaw, a fragment," Ger. Scharte "a notch," Dan. skaar "chink, potsherd." Meaning "fragment of broken earthenware" developed in late O.E. Fr. écharde "prickle, splinter" is a Gmc. loan-word.

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