Definition of fracture

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< fractious

frae >

frac·ture    (frkchr) KEY 

NOUN:

1. 1. The act or process of breaking.
   2. The condition of having been broken or ruptured: "a sudden and irreparable fracture of the established order" (W. Bruce Lincoln).
2. A break, rupture, or crack, especially in bone or cartilage.
3. Mineralogy
   1. The characteristic manner in which a mineral breaks.
   2. The characteristic appearance of the surface of a broken mineral.
4. Geology A crack or fault in a rock.

VERB:
frac·tured, frac·tur·ing, frac·tures
VERB:
tr.

1. To cause to break: fracture a bone.
2. To disrupt or destroy as if by breaking: fractured the delicate balance of power.
3. To abuse or misuse flagrantly, as by violating rules: ignorant writers who fracture the language.
4. Slang To cause to laugh heartily: "Jack Benny fractured audiences . . . for more than 50 years" (Newsweek).

VERB:
intr.

To undergo a fracture. See Synonyms at break.

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ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English, from Old French, from Latin frctra, from frctus, past participle of frangere, to break; see bhreg- in Indo-European roots