Nearby Words

shatters

[shat-er] Origin

shat·ter

[shat-er]
verb (used with object)
1.
to break (something) into pieces, as by a blow.
2.
to damage, as by breaking or crushing: ships shattered by storms.
3.
to impair or destroy (health, nerves, etc.): The incident shattered his composure.
4.
to weaken, destroy, or refute (ideas, opinions, etc.): He wanted to shatter her illusions.
verb (used without object)
5.
to be broken into fragments or become weak or insubstantial.

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Shatters is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
noun
6.
Usually, shatters. fragments made by shattering.

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English schateren < ?; compare scatter

shat·ter·er, noun
shat·ter·ing·ly, adverb
non·shat·ter, noun
non·shat·ter·ing, adjective
un·shat·tered, adjective


1. shiver, split, crack. See break.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

shatter
early 14c., probably a variant of M.E. scateren (see scatter). Cf. O.Du. schetteren Low Ger. schateren.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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