different between shred vs matchstick

English

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /???d/
• Rhymes: -?d

Etymology 1

From Middle English shrede, shred, from Old English s?r?ad, s?r?ade, from Proto-Germanic *skraud? (“a cut, shred”). Doublet of escrow.

Noun

shred (plural shreds)

1. A long, narrow piece cut or torn off; a strip.
2. In general, a fragment; a piece; a particle; a very small amount.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:modicum.

Related terms

• screed

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English shreden, from Old English s?r?adian, from Proto-West Germanic *skraud?n, related to Proto-West Germanic *skraudan (“to cut up, shred”).

Verb

shred (third-person singular simple present shreds, present participle shredding, simple past shredded, past participle shredded or shred)

1. To cut or tear into narrow and long pieces or strips.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Chaucer to this entry?)
2. To reduce by a large percentage.
3. (obsolete, transitive) To lop; to prune; to trim.
4. (snowboarding) To ride aggressively.
5. (bodybuilding) To drop fat and water weight before a competition.
6. (music, slang) To play very fast (especially guitar solos in rock and metal genres).

Derived terms

• shredder

Translations

References

Further reading

• shred in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• shred in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• herds, sherd

English

Alternative forms

• match stick

Etymology

From match +? stick.

Noun

matchstick (plural matchsticks)

1. A small, slender piece of wood or cardboard serving as a component of a match.

   The end of the matchstick is dipped in a sulfurous compound to turn it into a complete match.

2. (chiefly in the plural) Any similarly small and thin piece.

   The explosion blew the powder shed to matchsticks.

Synonyms

• (generic small thin piece): shred, sliver, splinter

Translations