n. & v.
n. 1 a breakage or breaking, esp. of a bone or cartilage. b the result of breaking; a crack or split. 2 the surface appearance of a freshly broken rock or mineral. 3 Linguistics a the substitution of a diphthong for a simple vowel owing to an influence esp. of a following consonant. b a diphthong substituted in this way.
v.intr. & tr. 1 Med. undergo or cause to undergo a fracture. 2 break or cause to break.
[ ME f. F fracture or f. L fractura (as FRACTION) ]