/ ˈfræktʃə(r); NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ C ] a break in a bone or other hard material :
a fracture of the leg / skull
a compound / simple fracture (= one in which the broken bone comes / does not come through the skin)
—see also greenstick fracture
2.
[ U ] the fact of sth breaking, especially a bone :
Old people's bones are more prone to fracture.
■ verb
1.
to break or crack; to make sth break or crack :
[ v ]
His leg fractured in two places.
[ vn ]
She fell and fractured her skull.
a fractured pipeline
2.
( formal ) ( of a society, an organization, etc. ) to split into several parts so that it no longer functions or exists; to split a society or an organization, etc. in this way :
[ v ]
Many people predicted that the party would fracture and split.
[ vn ]
The company was fractured into several smaller groups.
► frac·tured adjective [ usually before noun ]:
He suffered a badly fractured arm.
( figurative )
They spoke a sort of fractured German.
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from French , or from Latin fractura , from frangere to break.