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splint

noun · verb

Simple meaning

An orthopedic mechanical device used to immobilize and protect a part of the body.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

splint
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈsplɪnt

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. medicine

    An orthopedic mechanical device used to immobilize and protect a part of the body (as a broken leg)

  2. dentistry

    A dental device applied consequent to undergoing orthodontia.

  3. A narrow strip of wood split or peeled from a larger piece.

verb

  1. To support one's abdomen with hands or a pillow before attempting to cough.

  2. Support with a splint

  3. transitive

    To apply a splint to; to fasten with splints.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Frequency
Rare

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: An orthopedic mechanical device used to immobilize and protect a part of the body (as a broken leg)

Used this way, splint is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a clinical use: it belongs to medical description, where it is factual rather than emotive.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Specialist/technical
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Specialized
Connotation
Clinical and technical
Usage feel
Technical and specialized

Where it naturally appears

  • Medicine/healthcare
  • Science
  • Technical/specialist writing

Usage note

In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Narrow / split

splint boneslong splint

Orthopedic

traction splintposterior splint

Segment

splint coal

Other combinations

plaster splintsplint therapyacrylic splint

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • splinterverbInflected form

    Withdraw from an organization or communion.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • splinter groupnounCompound term

    A faction or sect that has broken away from its parent organization.

  • splint bonenounCompound term

    A rudimentary metacarpal or metatarsal bone on either side of the cannon bone in the leg of a horse or related animal.

  • shin splintsnounCompound term

    Painful inflammation of the muscles around the shins.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.