| noun | a small thin sharp bit or wood or glass or metal “he got a splinter in his finger” |
| verb | withdraw from an organization or communion “After the break up of the Soviet Union, many republics broke away” |
| verb | divide into slivers or splinters |
| verb | break up into splinters or slivers “The wood splintered” |
| splintery | adjective | subject to breaking into sharp slender pieces |
| splinter | verb | break up into splinters or slivers |
| slivery | adjective | resembling or consisting of or embedded with long slender fragments of (especially) wood having sharp points |
| sliver | verb | form into slivers |
| secession | noun | formal separation from an alliance or federation |
| breakaway | noun | the act of breaking away or withdrawing from |
| sliver | noun | a thin fragment or slice (especially of wood) that has been shaved from something |
| splinter | noun | a small thin sharp bit or wood or glass or metal |
| splintering | noun | the act of chipping something |