I. frag ‧ ment 1 /ˈfræɡmənt/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: fragmentum , from frangere 'to break' ]
a small piece of something that has broken off or that comes from something larger:
glass fragments
fragment of
fragments of broken pottery
• • •
THESAURUS
■ a small piece
▪ fragment a small piece that has broken off something, especially something hard:
The window shattered, covering them with fragments of glass.
|
They found fragments of bone.
▪ crumb a very small piece of bread, cake etc:
There were just a few crumbs left on the plate.
▪ speck a piece of something such as dirt or dust which is so small you almost cannot see it:
She brushed the specks of dust from the table.
▪ drop a very small amount of a liquid:
There were drops of blood on the floor.
|
I felt a drop of rain.
II. frag ‧ ment 2 /fræɡˈment $ ˈfræɡment, fræɡˈment/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive and transitive]
to break something, or be broken into a lot of small separate parts – used to show disapproval:
the dangers of fragmenting the Health Service
—fragmented adjective :
a fragmented society
—fragmentation /ˌfræɡmənˈteɪʃ ə n, -men-/ noun [uncountable]