˜yÐÄvlog

Advertisement

View synonyms for

fragment

[ noun frag-muhnt; verb frag-muhnt, -ment, frag-ment ]

noun

  1. a part broken off or detached:

    scattered fragments of the broken vase.

  2. an isolated, unfinished, or incomplete part:

    She played a fragment of her latest composition.

  3. an odd piece, bit, or scrap.


verb (used without object)

  1. to collapse or break into fragments; disintegrate:

    The chair fragmented under his weight.

verb (used with object)

  1. to break (something) into pieces or fragments; cause to disintegrate:

    Outside influences soon fragmented the Mayan culture.

  2. to divide into fragments; disunify.
  3. Computers. to store (data from a file) in noncontiguous sectors on a disk drive, splitting the file into smaller pieces and breaking up available free space on the disk. Compare defragment ( def ).

fragment

noun

  1. a piece broken off or detached

    fragments of rock

  2. an incomplete piece; portion

    fragments of a novel

  3. a scrap; morsel; bit
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to break or cause to break into fragments
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of fragment1

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin fragmentum “a broken piece, remnant,†equivalent to frag- (stem of frangere “to break, shatter†) + -mentum noun suffix; break, -ment
Discover More

˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of fragment1

C15: from Latin fragmentum , from frangere to break
Discover More

Synonym Study

See part.
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The phenomenon is a result of the fragmented system that regulates California facilities that care for elderly, disabled or ailing people: Different agencies in Sacramento are charged with overseeing different kinds of caregiving facilities.

From

"I don't say golden in arrogant way; but everything has fragmented now and the way children consume entertainment has changed forever. There will never be another era like it again."

From

Pathology of skull fragments showed Mr Everett had been subject to a "sustained, severe blunt force physical assault", with repeated blows to his head, shattering and fracturing his skull.

From

The report also recommends that ministers look at simplifying the current regulatory and enforcement which they say is "far too fragmented and complex".

From

Longer-term, tasks range from contending with gender eligibility, human rights, climate change and AI, to ensuring the Games remain relevant and attracts new audiences and sponsors in a fragmented and rapidly-changing media and entertainment landscape.

From

Advertisement

Related ˜yÐÄvlogs

Discover More

More About Fragment

What doesÌýfragment mean?

A fragment is a piece that has been broken off of or detached from something else.

Fragment most commonly refers to a part that has broken off rather than one that has been separated gently or intentionally, as in The vase smashed into a million fragments. A bone fragment is a (usually small) piece that has been chipped off from a bone.

Fragment is also used to refer to a part or portion of something that is incomplete or isolated from the whole, such as a fragment of a movie or piece of music.

Sometimes, fragment just means a piece, bit, or scrap (regardless of whether it has been removed from a larger part).

As a verb, fragment can mean to break into pieces or disintegrate, as in The empire fragmented into multiple states after the emperor’s death. It can also mean to cause to break into pieces or disintegrate. Less commonly, it can mean to divide into fragments.

Fragment is also used as a verb in a much more specific way in the context of computers, in which it means to store data files in a way that breaks them up. The opposite of this sense of fragment is defragment—to bringing the parts of the files back together.

The word fragment is used in the formation of many related words, including adjectives, nouns, and verbs.

The adjective fragmented describes things that have been broken into fragments or things that are or have been disorganized or disunified in some way. The adjective fragmentary means consisting of or reduced to fragments—disconnected or incomplete, as in fragmentary evidence.

Fragmentation is the process of breaking into fragments. The verb fragmentize can mean to break something into fragments or separate it into parts, as in They’re going to fragmentize the corporation into several companies. It can also mean for something to break into fragments (without someone doing the fragmentizing).

Example: The pirate captain tore the map into fragments, placing the pieces into separate bottles and scattering them across the seven seas.

Where doesÌýfragment come from?

The first records of the word fragment come from around 1400. It ultimately comes from the Latin fragmentum, meaning “a broken piece,†from the verb frangere, meaning “to break.†The word fragile also comes from frangere.

Fragment is similar to other words that mean pieces of a whole, such as part, piece, section, slice, or portion. When it’s used in the context of physical things, fragment usually refers to a piece that has been roughly broken off, often resulting in rough edges or an irregular shape. Such a fragment is usually a small piece and is often useless by itself.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to fragment?

What are some synonyms for fragment?

What are some words that share a root or word element with fragment?Ìý

What are some words that often get used in discussing fragment?

How isÌýfragment used in real life?

Fragment is a common word that’s used in all kinds of context involving parts or portions of things. It’s perhaps most commonly used to refer to small, broken pieces of physical objects.

Ìý

Try usingÌýfragment!

Which of the following words is a synonym of fragment?

A. part
B. piece
C. portion
D. all of the above

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement