splint /splɪnt/noun 8verb 4forms 3 noun8 •A dental device applied consequent to undergoing orthodontia. •A device to immobilize a body part.[...] I saw in the white men's ward that little chap tossing on his back, with his arm in splints, and quite light-headed. — 1899 •A narrow strip of wood split or peeled from a larger piece. •A splinter caught in the skin. •A bone found on either side of a horse's cannon bone; the second or fourth metacarpal (forelimb) or metatarsal (hindlimb) bone. •A disease affecting the splint bones, as a callosity or hard excrescence. •(historical) A segment of armour consisting of a narrow overlapping plate. •Synonym of splent coal. verb4 •To apply a splint to; to fasten with splints. •To support one's abdomen with hands or a pillow before attempting to cough. •To press fingers against the vaginal wall to ease defecation. •(no longer used, rare) To split into thin, slender pieces; to splinter. formssplinted · splinting · splints
