split

verb, adj, noun — 37 senses

split

verb

/splɪt/

Etymology

Attested since about 1567, from Middle Dutch splitten (“to split”) and/or Middle Low German splitten (“to split”), both ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *splittjan, an intensive form of Proto-West Germanic *splītan (“to split”), from Proto-Germanic *splītaną (whence Danish splitte, Low German splieten, German spleißen), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pley- (“to split, splice”). Compare Middle English ysplett (“split”, past participle of splatten (“to split”)), Old English speld (“splinter”), Old High German spaltan (“to split”), Middle Irish slis (“splinter”), Lithuanian spaliai (“flax sheaves”), Czech půl (“half”), Old Church Slavonic рас-плитати (ras-plitati, “to cleave, split”).

14 senses
  1. 1To divide fully or partly along a more or less straight line.
  2. 2Of something solid, particularly wood, to break along…
  3. 3To share; to divide.
  4. 4To leave.
  5. 5To separate.
  6. 6To (cause to) break up; to throw into discord.
  7. 7To factor into linear factors.
  8. 8To be expressable as a direct sum of sub-modules, -algebras, etc.
  9. 9To contain an object which may be so expressed.
  10. 10To be broken; to be dashed to pieces.
  11. 11To burst out laughing.
  12. 12To divulge a secret; to betray confidence; to peach.
  13. 13For both teams involved in a doubleheader to win one…
  14. 14To vote for candidates of opposite parties.
1

Ergative, Of something solid To divide fully or partly along a more or less straight line.

  • He has split his lip.
  • a huge vessel of exceeding hard marble split asunder by congealed water1659 December 30 (date written), Robert Boyle, New Experiments Physico-Mechanicall, Touching the Spring of the Air, and Its Effects […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] H[enry] Hall, printer to the University, for Tho[mas] Robinson, published 1660, →OCLC:
1 more example
  • The critical component of the photosynthetic system is the “water-oxidizing complex”, made up of manganese atoms and a calcium atom. This system splits water molecules and delivers some of their electrons to other molecules that help build up carbohydrates.2013 September-October, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist, archived from the original on 03 Sep 2013:
2

Of something solid, particularly wood, to break along the grain fully or partly along a more or less straight line.

3

To share; to divide.

  • We split the money among three people.
  • Presently the 57-strong Class 378 fleet is split between the East London line and North London line, with 29 units allocated on the east side.2019 October, “Funding for 20tph East London Line service”, in Modern Railways, page 18:
4

Slang To leave.

  • Let's split this scene and see if we can find a real party.
  • Carlo and Carmen Vidal / just had a child / A lovely girl with a crooked smile / Now they gotta split 'cause the Bronx ain't fit / For a kid to grow up in1979, Machine, “There but For the Grace of God Go I”, in Machine:
1 more example
  • I had this Palm Springs gig set up for Joey and the bitch split. Least he ain't nowhere around.1980, Paul Schrader, American Gigolo, spoken by Leon (Bill Duke):
5

Of a couple To separate.

  • Did you hear Dick and Jane split? They'll probably get a divorce.
6

Ambitransitive To (cause to) break up; to throw into discord.

  • Accusations of bribery split the party just before the election.
7

Algebra, Mathematics, Sciences To factor into linear factors.

Acts on a polynomial

  • In the first case X²-2, the minimum polynomial of #92;sqrt 2, splits completely over #92;Q(#92;sqrt 2); in the second case we see that X³-2, the minimum polynomial of 3#92;sqrt 2, does not split completely over #92;Q(3#92;sqrt 2).2007, John M. Howie, Fields and Galois Theory, Springer, page 103:
8

Algebra, Mathematics, Sciences Of an algebraic structure To be expressable as a direct sum of sub-modules, -algebras, etc.

Acts on a polynomial; generally; generally

9

Algebra, Mathematics, Sciences To contain an object which may be so expressed.

Acts on a polynomial; particularly a short exact sequence; particularly a short exact sequence Of an object which expresses the relationship between algebraic structures

10

To be broken; to be dashed to pieces.

  • The ship splits on the rock.c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iv]:
11

To burst out laughing.

12

Dated, Slang To divulge a secret; to betray confidence; to peach.

  • "[…]I split, and tell all […]"1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
13

Ball games, Baseball, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports Especially For both teams involved in a doubleheader to win one game each and lose another.

  • Boston split with Philadelphia in a doubleheader, winning the first game 3-1 before losing 2-0 in the nightcap.
14

Government, Politics To vote for candidates of opposite parties.

split

adj
Etymology

Attested since about 1567, from Middle Dutch splitten (“to split”) and/or Middle Low German splitten (“to split”), both ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *splittjan, an intensive form of Proto-West Germanic *splītan (“to split”), from Proto-Germanic *splītaną (whence Danish splitte, Low German splieten, German spleißen), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pley- (“to split, splice”). Compare Middle English ysplett (“split”, past participle of splatten (“to split”)), Old English speld (“splinter”), Old High German spaltan (“to split”), Middle Irish slis (“splinter”), Lithuanian spaliai (“flax sheaves”), Czech půl (“half”), Old Church Slavonic рас-плитати (ras-plitati, “to cleave, split”).

1

Divided.

  • Republicans appear split on the centerpiece of Mr. Obama's economic recovery plan.
  • With the descent of the cold war, relations between the two countries (for this is, to all intents and purposes, what they became after the end of the war) were almost completely broken off, with whole families split for the ensuing decades, some for ever.2011 December 19, Kerry Brown, “Kim Jong-il obituary”, in The Guardian:
2

Algebra, Mathematics, Sciences Of a short exact sequence Having the middle object (group, module, etc.) equal to the direct sum of the others.

3

Of coffee Comprising half decaffeinated and half caffeinated espresso.

4

Business, Finance, Stock exchange Usually, Of an order Divided so as to be done or executed part at one time or price and part at another time or price.

5

Business, Finance, Stock exchange Historical, Of quotations Given in sixteenths rather than eighths.

  • 10+³⁄₁₆ is a split quotation.
6

Business, Finance, Stock exchange London Designating ordinary stock that has been divided into preferred ordinary and deferred ordinary.

Synonyms
cleft, cloven, divided, split, sundered
Antonyms
manifold
Related terms
divide, divisible, separate, separation
Hyponyms
bisected, thirded, tripartite, trisected, quadrisected, quadripartite, quartered, quinquepartite, quinquesected

split

noun
Etymology

Attested since about 1567, from Middle Dutch splitten (“to split”) and/or Middle Low German splitten (“to split”), both ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *splittjan, an intensive form of Proto-West Germanic *splītan (“to split”), from Proto-Germanic *splītaną (whence Danish splitte, Low German splieten, German spleißen), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pley- (“to split, splice”). Compare Middle English ysplett (“split”, past participle of splatten (“to split”)), Old English speld (“splinter”), Old High German spaltan (“to split”), Middle Irish slis (“splinter”), Lithuanian spaliai (“flax sheaves”), Czech půl (“half”), Old Church Slavonic рас-плитати (ras-plitati, “to cleave, split”).

17 senses
  1. 1A crack or longitudinal fissure.
  2. 2A breach or separation, as in a political party; a division.
  3. 3A piece that is split off, or made thin, by splitting; a…
  4. 4One of the sections of a skin made by dividing it into…
  5. 5A maneuver of spreading or sliding the feet apart until…
  6. 6A workout routine as seen by its distribution of muscle…
  7. 7A split-finger fastball.
  8. 8A result of a first throw that leaves two or more pins…
  9. 9A split shot or split stroke.
  10. 10A dessert or confection resembling a banana split.
  11. 11A unit of measure used for champagne or other spirits…
  12. 12A bottle of wine containing 37.5 centiliters, half the…
  13. 13The elapsed time at specific intermediate points in a…
  14. 14A tear resulting from tensile stresses.
  15. 15A division of a stake happening when two cards of the…
  16. 16A recording containing songs by multiple artists; a…
  17. 17The division of a single taxon into two or more taxa; as…
1

A crack or longitudinal fissure.

2

A breach or separation, as in a political party; a division.

3

A piece that is split off, or made thin, by splitting; a splinter; a fragment.

  • The kernels split in shelling, known as splits, form a fifth grade of shelled Virginia peanuts.1929, United States Tariff Commission, Agricultural products and provisions, page 1334:
4

One of the sections of a skin made by dividing it into two or more thicknesses.

Leather manufacture

5

Cheerleading, Dance, Dancing, Gymnastics, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A maneuver of spreading or sliding the feet apart until the legs are flat on the floor 180 degrees apart, either sideways to the body or with one leg in front and one behind, thus lowering the body completely to the floor in an upright position.

Usually in the phrase "to do the splits"

6

Bodybuilding, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A workout routine as seen by its distribution of muscle groups or the extent and manner they are targeted in a microcycle.

7

Ball games, Baseball, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports Slang A split-finger fastball.

  • He’s got a nasty split.
8

Bowling, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A result of a first throw that leaves two or more pins standing with one or more pins between them knocked down.

9

A split shot or split stroke.

10

A dessert or confection resembling a banana split.

11

A unit of measure used for champagne or other spirits: 18.75 centiliters or one quarter of a standard 75-centiliter bottle. Commercially comparable to ¹⁄₂₀ (US) gallon, which is ¹⁄₂ of a fifth.

12

A bottle of wine containing 37.5 centiliters, half the volume of a standard 75-centiliter bottle; a demi.

13

Athletics, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports The elapsed time at specific intermediate points in a race or speedrun.

  • In the 3000 m race, his 800 m split was 1:45.32
14

Business, Construction, Manufacturing A tear resulting from tensile stresses.

15

Gambling, Games A division of a stake happening when two cards of the kind on which the stake is laid are dealt in the same turn.

16

Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music A recording containing songs by multiple artists; a split single or split album.

17

The division of a single taxon into two or more taxa; as opposed to a lump.

  • [I]t would be a rare split in that it would be unlikely to result in an armchair tick for any birders, living or dead.2017 June 23, Australian Birdlife, Carlton, Victoria, page 76, column 1:
Derived terms
149 terms7-10 split, almost split sequence, backsplit, bad-lad split, banana split, box split, Bulgarian split squat, circuit split, defence-splitting, Devonshire split, earsplitting, fee splitting, foot-strut split, get one's wig split, hairsplit, hair-splittery, hair-splitting, heart-splitting, Heegaard splitting, high-low split, hypersplit, let the door hit you where the good Lord split you, lickety-split, lot-cloth split, make like a banana and split, missplit, negative split, netsplit, non-split, off-split, offsplit, Omaha high-low split, oversplit, phonemic split, positive split, presplit, quasisplit, quickety split, resplit, reverse split, share split, sheep-split, sidesplit, side-split, side-splitting, split 7, split a gut, split an infinitive, split antigen, split attraction model, split bar, split bathroom, splitboard, split brain, split cameras, split-complex number, split decision, split dynamometer, split end, split epimorphism, split ergativity, splitfin, splitfinger, split-fingered fastball, split-finger fastball, split hairs, split hand syndrome, split head, split horizon, split infinitive, split key, Split Lake, split-leaf philodendron, split leather, splitless, split level, split-level, split lunch, split monomorphism, split-new, split off, split on a rock, split one's sides, split pea, split personality, split-phase power, split pin, split pot, splitproof, split-quaternion, split rail, split rail fence, split rim, split-ring, split-ring resonator, split rock, split screen, split screen shot, split-second, split second, split shift, split shorts, split-shot, split shot, splitsies, split single, split slab, split-squad, split squat, split S, split-S, split stitch, split stuff, splitsville, split switch, split-system air conditioner, splittable, split-tail, splittee, split tender, splitter, split test, split the baby, split the blanket, split the breeze, split the difference, split the G, split the house, split the sheets, split ticket, Splittie, splittie, split-time, splitting field, splittism, splittist, split-toe, splitty, split-up, split up, splitwheel, split wheel, split wine bottle, splitwork, splividend, stock split, trap-bath split, unsplit, windsplit

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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