n.
- A piece of broken pottery, especially one found in an archaeological dig; a potsherd.
- A fragment of a brittle substance, as of glass or metal.
- A small piece or part: "shards of intense emotional relationships that once existed" (Maggie Scarf).
- Zoology.
- A tough sheath or covering, such as a shell, scale, or plate.
- The elytron or outer wing covering of a beetle.
[Middle English sherd, from Old English sceard, cut, notch.]





