split

Attested since about 1567, from Middle Dutch splitten (“to split”) and/or Middle Low German splitten (“to split”), both intensive forms related to Proto-Germanic *splītaną (whence Danish splitte, Low German splieten, German spleißen), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pley- (“to split, splice”) (compare Old English speld (“splinter”), Old High German spaltan (“to split”), Old Irish sliss (“splinter”), Lithuanian spaliai (“flax sheaves”), Czech půl (“half”), Old Church Slavonic рас-плитати (ras-plitati, “to cleave, split”)).

• enPR: splĭt, IPA^(key): /splɪt/

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split (not comparable)

1. Divided.

   Republicans appear split on the centerpiece of Mr. Obama's economic recovery plan.

   • 2011 December 19, Kerry Brown, “Kim Jong-il obituary”, in The Guardian‎:

     With the descent of the cold war, relations between the two countries (for this is, to all intents and purposes, what they became after the end of the war) were almost completely broken off, with whole families split for the ensuing decades, some for ever.

2. (algebra, of a short exact sequence) Having the middle group equal to the direct product of the others.
3. (of coffee) Comprising half decaffeinated and half caffeinated espresso.
4. (stock exchange, of an order, sale, etc.) Divided so as to be done or executed part at one time or price and part at another time or price.
5. (stock exchange, historical, of quotations) Given in sixteenths rather than the usual eighths.

   ${\displaystyle 10{\frac {3}{16}}}$ is a split quotation.

6. (London stock exchange) Designating ordinary stock that has been divided into preferred ordinary and deferred ordinary.

• split-shot

split (plural splits)

1. A crack or longitudinal fissure.
2. A breach or separation, as in a political party; a division.
3. A piece that is split off, or made thin, by splitting; a splinter; a fragment.
4. (leather manufacture) One of the sections of a skin made by dividing it into two or more thicknesses.
5. (gymnastics, cheerleading, dance, usually in the phrase “to do the splits”) A maneuver of spreading or sliding the feet apart until the legs are flat on the floor 180 degrees apart, either sideways to the body or with one leg in front and one behind, thus lowering the body completely to the floor in an upright position.
6. (baseball, slang) A split-finger fastball.

   He’s got a nasty split.

7. (bowling) A result of a first throw that leaves two or more pins standing with one or more pins between them knocked down.
8. A split shot or split stroke.
9. A dessert or confection resembling a banana split.
10. A unit of measure used for champagne or other spirits: 18.75 centiliter or one quarter of a standard .75 liter bottle. Commercially comparable to 1/20th (US) gallon, which is 1/2 of a fifth.
11. A bottle of wine containing 0.375 liters, half the volume of a standard .75 liter bottle; a demi.
12. (athletics) The elapsed time at specific intermediate points in a race.

    In the 3000m race, his 800m split was 1:45.32

13. (video games) The elapsed time at specific intermediate points in a speedrun.
14. (construction) A tear resulting from tensile stresses.
15. (gambling) A division of a stake happening when two cards of the kind on which the stake is laid are dealt in the same turn.
16. (music) A recording containing songs by multiple artists.

split (third-person singular simple present splits, present participle splitting, simple past and past participle split)

1. (transitive, ergative) Of something solid, to divide fully or partly along a more or less straight line.

   He has split his lip.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Robert Boyle

     a huge vessel of exceeding hard marble split asunder by congealed water

2. (intransitive) Of something solid particularly wood, to break along the grain fully or partly along a more or less straight line.
3. (transitive) To share; to divide.

   We split the money among three people.

   • 2013 September-October, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist:

     The critical component of the photosynthetic system is the “water-oxidizing complex”, made up of manganese atoms and a calcium atom. This system splits water molecules and delivers some of their electrons to other molecules that help build up carbohydrates.

4. (slang) To leave.

   Let's split this scene and see if we can find a real party.

5. To separate or break up.

   Did you hear Dick and Jane split? They'll probably get a divorce.

6. (algebra, transitive and intransitive, acts on a polynomial) To factor into linear factors.
   • 2007, John M. Howie, Fields and Galois Theory, Springer, page 103,

     In the first case ${\displaystyle X^{2}-2}$ , the minimum polynomial of ${\displaystyle {\sqrt {2}}}$ , splits completely over ${\displaystyle \mathbb {Q} ({\sqrt {2}})}$ ; in the second case we see that ${\displaystyle X^{3}-2}$ , the minimum polynomial of ${\displaystyle 3{\sqrt {2}}}$ , does not split completely over ${\displaystyle \mathbb {Q} (3{\sqrt {2}})}$ .

7. To be broken; to be dashed to pieces.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare

     The ship splits on the rock.

8. To burst out laughing.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Alexander Pope

     Each had a gravity would make you split.

9. (slang, dated) To divulge a secret; to betray confidence; to peach.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Thackeray to this entry?)

10. (sports) In athletics (esp. baseball), when both teams involved in a doubleheader each win one game and lose another game.

    Boston split with Philadelphia in a doubleheader, winning the first game 3-1 before losing 2-0 in the nightcap.

• (to leave): take off

• slipt, spilt

split

1. imperative of splitte

split m (uncountable)

1. splits

split n or c

1. discord, strife, dissension

   Det blir avunden och splitet, som blir Sveriges fördärv.

   It is the envy and the strife, that will be Sweden's demise.

2. a split (of shares in a company)
3. a side split, a straddle split (in gymnastics)

• aktiesplit
• spagat
• splits
• splitt