Fragment Definition, Usage & Sentence Examples

Meaning 1：small broken piece (fragment)

fragment 🔊

/ˈfræɡ.mənt/

A small piece or part that has broken off from something bigger, or that remains after something has been destroyed.

Fragment illustration: broken ceramic mug pieces on a wooden table

small broken piece 🔊

➕

/smɔːl ˈbrəʊkən piːs/

A part that has separated from a larger whole, typically due to breaking or destruction.

📁 Category：Objects & Materials 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'fragmentum', from 'frangere' meaning 'to break'.

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine a fragile object breaking into many fragments.

📖 Example

The archaeologist carefully brushed the dirt away to reveal a beautiful blue fragment of an ancient vase. 🔊 The archaeologist gently cleaned the dirt to expose a lovely blue piece of an antique vase.

🔗 Collocations

fragment of glass – a small piece of broken glass

historical fragment – a remaining piece from history

memory fragment – a piece of recalled memory

🔄 Synonyms

piece (n.) – a portion of something

shard (n.) – a fragment of brittle material, like glass or pottery

remnant (n.) – a small remaining quantity

🚫 Antonyms

whole (n.) – the complete thing

entirety (n.) – the full amount

🌱 Derivatives

fragmentation (n.) – the act or process of breaking into fragments

fragmentary (adj.) – consisting of fragments

📖 Cultural Story

Derived from Latin 'fragmentum', meaning a broken piece. Commonly used in archaeology for artifact remains and in computing for data fragments.