fracture
noun
- process of breaking apart
- geologic feature
- shape and texture of the surface formed when a mineral is fractured
- breaking a bone
verb
- break apart
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈfɹæk.t͡ʃʰəː/ / [ˈfɹʷæk.t͡ʃʰəː] / /ˈfɹæk.t͡ʃɚ/
noun
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- Proto-Indo-European *-né- Latin frangō Latin frāctūrus Latin frāctūrader. Old French fracturebor. Middle English fracture English fracture From Middle English fracture, from Old French fracture, from Latin frāctūra (“a breach, fracture, cleft”), from frangere (“to break”), past participle frāctus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg-, whence also English break. See fraction. Doublet of fraktur.
- An instance of breaking, a place where something has broken.
“Hall found the immediate cause at Rickerscote to have been the complete fracture of an axle on STS 53241, the freight train's ninth wagon. The fracture had been caused by fatigue initiated by corrosion pitting on the axle surface.”
- A break in bone or cartilage.
- A fault or crack in a rock.
verb
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- Proto-Indo-European *-né- Latin frangō Latin frāctūrus Latin frāctūrader. Old French fracturebor. Middle English fracture English fracture From Middle English fracture, from Old French fracture, from Latin frāctūra (“a breach, fracture, cleft”), from frangere (“to break”), past participle frāctus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg-, whence also English break. See fraction. Doublet of fraktur.
- To break, or cause something to break.
- To amuse (a person) greatly; to split someone's sides.
““You fracture me, Frankie,” Patsy said. “You should take that act on the road. Howsabout now?” This is the way it would go whenever I showed up at Patsy's, a dual of digs and wisecracks with the disapproving groans of those within earshot.”