n.
Pronunciation: ' spl ī n
Function: noun
Etymology: origin unknown
Date: 1756
1 : a thin wood or metal strip used in building construction
2 : a key that is fixed to one of two connected mechanical parts and fits into a keyway in the other also : a keyway for such a key
3 : a function that is defined on an interval, is used to approximate a given function, and is composed of pieces of simple functions defined on subintervals and joined at their endpoints with a suitable degree of smoothness