Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
SPLINTER
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle Dutch; akin to Middle Low German splinte splint
Date: 14th century
1. a thin piece split or broken off lengthwise ; sliver , a small needlelike particle, a group or faction broken away from a parent body, splinter adjective splintery adjective
II. verb (splintered; splintering)
Date: 1582
transitive verb to split or rend into long thin pieces ; shiver , to split into fragments, parts, or factions, intransitive verb to become splintered