[shard] also sherd n [ME, fr. OE sceard; akin to OE scieran to cut--more at shear] (bef. 12c) 1 a: a piece or fragment of a brittle substance; broadly: a small piece or part b: shell, scale; esp: elytron
2. usu sherd: fragments of pottery vessels found on sites and in refuse deposits where pottery-making peoples have lived
3: highly angular curved glass fragments of tuffaceous sediments