1.
[syn: rending, ripping, splitting]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Split \Split\ (spl[i^]t), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Split
(Splitted, R.); p. pr. & vb. n. Splitting.] [Probably of
Scand. or Low German origin; cf. Dan. splitte, LG. splitten,
OD. splitten, spletten, D. splijten, G. spleissen, MHG.
spl[imac]zen. Cf. Splice, Splint, Splinter.]
1. To divide lengthwise; to separate from end to end, esp. by
force; to divide in the direction of the grain or layers;
to rive; to cleave; as, to split a piece of timber or a
board; to split a gem; to split a sheepskin.
[1913 Webster]
Cold winter split the rocks in twain. --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
2. To burst; to rupture; to rend; to tear asunder.
[1913 Webster]
A huge vessel of exceeding hard marble split asunder
by congealed water. --Boyle.
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3. To divide or break up into parts or divisions, as by
discord; to separate into parts or parties, as a political
party; to disunite. [Colloq.] --South.
[1913 Webster]
4. (Chem.) To divide or separate into components; -- often
used with up; as, to split up sugar into alcohol and
carbonic acid.
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To split hairs, to make distinctions of useless nicety.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
splitting
adj 1: resembling a sound of violent tearing as of something
ripped apart or lightning splitting a tree; "the tree
split with a great ripping sound"; "heard a rending roar
as the crowd surged forward" [syn: rending, ripping,
splitting]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
70 Moby Thesaurus words for "splitting":
abscission, acute, amputation, apportionment, budgeting,
butchering, catalysis, catalyst, chopping, cleavage, cutting,
cutting the pie, decay, dialysis, dichotomy, dissociation,
dividing, division, divvy, drastic, enucleation, excessive,
excision, exorbitant, extravagant, extreme, fierce, fission,
furious, great, hydrolysis, hydrolyst, immoderate, intemperate,
intense, keen, laceration, mutilation, outrageous, parceling,
partition, partitioning, photolysis, piercing, portioning,
rationing, rending, repartition, resection, rigorous, ripping,
rough, scission, section, severance, severe, sharing, sharing out,
sharp, slashing, slicing, surgery, tearing, thermolysis, tough,
unconscionable, vehement, venomous, violent, virulent