v. & n.
v. (splitting; past and past part. split) 1 intr. & tr. a break or cause to break forcibly into parts, esp. with the grain or into halves. b (often foll. by up) divide into parts (split into groups; split up the money equally). 2 tr. & intr. (often foll. by off, away) remove or be removed by breaking, separating, or dividing (split the top off the bottle; split away from the main group). 3 intr. & tr. a (usu. foll. by up, on, over, etc.) separate esp. through discord (split up after ten years; they were split on the question of picketing). b (foll. by with) quarrel or cease association with (another person etc.). 4 tr. cause the fission of (an atom). 5 intr. & tr. sl. leave, esp. suddenly. 6 intr. (usu. foll. by on) colloq. betray secrets; inform (split on them to the police). 7 intr. a (as splitting adj.) (esp. of a headache) very painful; acute. b (of the head) suffer great pain from a headache, noise, etc. 8 intr. (of a ship) be wrecked. 9 tr. US colloq. dilute (whisky etc.) with water.
n. 1 the act or an instance of splitting; the state of being split. 2 a fissure, vent, crack, cleft, etc. 3 a separation into parties; a schism. 4 (in pl.) Brit. the athletic feat of leaping in the air or sitting down with the legs at right angles to the body in front and behind, or at the sides with the trunk facing forwards. 5 a split osier etc. used for parts of basketwork. 6 each strip of steel, cane, etc., of the reed in a loom. 7 a single thickness of split hide. 8 the turning up of two cards of equal value in faro, so that the stakes are divided. 9 a half a bottle of mineral water. b half a glass of liquor. 10 colloq. a division of money, esp. the proceeds of crime. split the difference take the average of two proposed amounts. split gear (or pulley or wheel) a gear etc. made in halves for removal from a shaft. split hairs make small and insignificant distinctions. split infinitive a phrase consisting of an infinitive with an adverb etc. inserted between to and the verb, e.g. seems to really like it. split-level (of a building) having a room or rooms a fraction of a storey higher than other parts. split mind = SCHIZOPHRENIA. split pea a pea dried and split in half for cooking. split personality the alteration or dissociation of personality occurring in some mental illnesses, esp. schizophrenia and hysteria. split pin a metal cotter passed through a hole and held by the pressing back of the two ends. split ring a small steel ring with two spiral turns, such as a key-ring. split-screen a screen on which two or more separate images are displayed. split second a very brief moment of time. split shift a shift comprising two or more separate periods of duty. split shot (or stroke) Croquet a stroke driving two touching balls in different directions. split one's sides be convulsed with laughter. split the ticket (or one's vote) US vote for candidates of more than one party. split the vote Brit. (of a candidate or minority party) attract votes from another so that both are defeated by a third. splitter n.
[ orig. Naut. f. MDu. splitten, rel. to spletten, spliten, MHG splizen ]