n.
- A thin piece split off from a larger piece; a splinter.
- A rigid device used to prevent motion of a joint or of the ends of a fractured bone.
- A dental appliance put on the teeth to protect them from grinding or from moving out of place.
- A thin, flexible wooden strip, such as one used in the making of baskets or chair bottoms.
- A plate or strip of metal.
- A bony enlargement of the cannon bone or splint bone of a horse.
To support or restrict with or as if with a splint.
[Middle English, from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German splinte.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.