shredn.
/ʃrɛd/, U.S. /ʃrɛd/ 1.
a. A fragment cut or broken off; a strip; a scrap.In late use apprehended as transferred from sense 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > a small quantity or amount > a very small amount
shredc1000
farthingsworthc1325
pennyworthc1330
incha1350
sliverc1374
chipa1393
gnastc1440
Jack1530
spoonful1531
crumba1535
spark1548
slight1549
pin's worth1562
scruple1574
thought1581
pinch1583
scrap1583
splinter1609
ticket1634
notchet1637
indivisible1644
tinyc1650
twopence1691
turn of the scale(s)1706
enough to swear by1756
touch1786
scrimptiona1825
infinitesimal1840
smidgen1841
snuff1842
fluxion1846
smitchel1856
eyelash1860
smidge1866
tenpenceworth1896
whisker1913
tidge1986
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a separate part > a fragment
shreddingc950
brucheOE
shredc1000
brokec1160
truncheonc1330
scartha1340
screedc1350
bruisinga1382
morsel1381
shedc1400
stumpc1400
rag?a1425
brokalyc1440
brokeling1490
mammocka1529
brokelette1538
sheavec1558
shard1561
fragment1583
segment1586
brack1587
parcel1596
flaw1607
fraction1609
fracture1641
pash1651
frustillation1653
hoof1655
arrachement1656
jaga1658
shattering1658
discerption1685
scar1698
twitter1715
frust1765
smithereens1841
chitling1843
c1000 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 151/20 Praesegmina, praecisiones, screadan.
c1000 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 164/6 Sceda, screade.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 303 Ȝef ha mei sparien ani schraden [a1250 Nero schreaden, a1250 Titus schiue] sende ham al dearneliche ut of hire wanes.
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 99 Hauede he non so god brede, Ne on his bord non so god shrede. Þat he ne wolde þorwit fede Poure.
c1330 Arth. & Merl. 1540 Þe white [dragon] brent þan rede, Þat of him nas founden a schrede, Bot dust.
c1400 Laud Troy Bk. 4455 Thei hadde ben hewen euery a schrede.
1564 W. Bullein Dialogue against Fever Pestilence f. 80 There is a fletyng Islande... Some saied it was a shredd of the bankes of Paradise.
a1701 H. Maundrell Journey Aleppo to Jerusalem (1703) 104 A small shred of ground twelve yards long, and one broad.
1860 W. M. Thackeray Lovel iii He munched a shred of toast.
1860 E. B. Pusey Minor Prophets 65 One of those little shreds which float in countless numbers on the surface of the water.
1863 A. W. Kinglake Invasion of Crimea I. x. 133 It would be well to set apart one small shred of ground.
b. = sherd (see shard n.1). rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > clay compositions > baked clay > pottery or ceramics > [noun] > fragment or part of
shardc1000
potsherda1325
pot-lid1404
potscarc1450
test1545
shred1616
crock1850
pan-sherd1851
tesson1858
pot-shell1865
1616 W. Browne Britannia's Pastorals II. i. 13 Carrying my pot as Maides vse on their heads, I fell with it, and broke it all to shreads.
1866 C. Kingsley Hereward the Wake II. xi. 169 He..sorted his pots, kept the whole ones, threw the shreds at the rabbits.
2. † b. plural. Parings of leather or parchment. Obsolete.
a. In Old English, plural. Parings (of fruit, etc.); in modern use, a narrow strip (of peel, vegetable, root, etc.) shaved so thin that it curls.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > preparing fruit and vegetables > [noun] > other fruit or vegetable peelings
shred1737
c1000 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 118/1 Quisquiliæ, æppelscreada, uel cornæsceda.
1737 Compl. Family-piece (ed. 2) i. ii. 119 Put shreds of Lemon-peel into some of the Glasses.
1830 J. Baxter Libr. Agric. & Hort. Knowl. 305 The root [horse-radish] scraped into shreds is the well known accompaniment of ‘the roast beef of old England’.
1840 W. M. Thackeray Shabby Genteel Story iii Three shreds of celery in a glass.
1842 J. C. Loudon Suburban Horticulturist 307 The part of the stock which projects over the ring of the bark is next split into shreds.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > leather > [noun] > parings of leather
shreds1551
society > communication > writing > writing materials > material to write on > skin (vellum or parchment) > [noun] > parchment > shavings of parchment
shreds1687
1551–2 Act 5 & 6 Edw. VI c. 15 §3 Everie Girdler..maye..sell their Neckes Wombes and Shreddes of tanned Leather, to anye person.
1553 Inv. Ch. Goods (1885) 19 Pd. for a bag of glover's shreds xij d.
1687 London Gaz. No. 2240/2 Glovers Clippings, Parchment Shreds.
3. † d. A cant term for a tailor. Obsolete.
a. A fragment or strip of textile material cut or torn off; one or more fibres torn from a piece of cloth; a small piece of cloth, a fragment of clothing; plural scanty or ragged garments.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > [noun] > fragment of
shred?a1400
rag?1536
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > [noun] > piece of
sheetc725
clotha800
panec1300
dagonc1386
lap?a1400
shred?a1400
ringe1726
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > ragged or tattered
ragsa1350
dud1508
jag1555
shred1615
rillin1900
?a1400 Morte Arth. 3473 Manye schredys and schragges at his skyrttes hynnges.
c1400 26 Pol. Poems 2 God wole haue rekenyng,..Of men and cloth the leste shrede.
c1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 6118 Generides than cut his shirt..And with the shredes hem he bond.
c1450 Pol. Rel. & L. Poems 137 Nakede with outen clath or schrede.
1589 ‘Marphoreus’ Martins Months Minde sig. H4 The shreddes that fall into the Tailors hell, neuer come backe to couer your backe.
1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 56 Some of them going almost starke naked: others clothed in shreds of severall colours.
1661 R. Boyle Some Consider. Style of Script. (1675) 72 A fair suit of Arras, of which..a shread may assure you of the fineness of the colours, and richness of the stuff.
1735 G. Berkeley Querist §505 The very shreds shorn from woollen cloth.
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xvii. 144 They have hung a shred of carpet out of an upstairs window.
1850 A. Jameson Legends Monastic Orders 324 Her clothes became ragged, and she mended them with shreds of any colour.
1881 A. O'Shaughnessy Christ will Return in Songs of Worker 23 Clothed withal In shreds, the greatest beggar, yea in all The world.
b. plural. Strips of cloth used for nailing up plants or fruit trees.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > equipment and buildings > [noun] > fibre or cloth to tie plants
tack1545
Russia mat1737
shreds1796
mat1824
raffia1850
fillis1900
1796 C. Marshall Introd. Knowl. & Pract. Gardening xii. 180 The proper use of nails and shreds is necessary to the beauty of the tree.
1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop ii. xl. 14 The old gentleman..handed up the nails and shreds of cloth as he wanted them.
1842 J. C. Loudon Suburban Horticulturist 353 Shreds will last two or three years.
c. of shreds (and patches): made up of rags or scraps. Hence used allusively.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > variety > [adjective] > exhibiting variety in appearance > irregular in appearance
patched1447
shredden1581
patchy1583
of shreds (and patches)1604
patchwork1634
patched work1716
desultory1842
unpatterned1842
patchworky1845
patchworked1873
splashy1880
spotty1881
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iii. iv. 92 A King of shreds and patches [1603 A king of clowts, of very shreads] . View more context for this quotation
a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Richard II xxxiii, in Poems (1878) III. 145 Led by a Rascall, made of shreds.
1827 T. Carlyle Richter in Edinb. Rev. June 179 That this thing of shreds and patches has been vamped together for sale only.
1885 W. S. Gilbert Mikado i A wand'ring minstrel I, a thing of shreds and patches.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > [noun] > tailor
seamsterc995
tailor1297
parnterc1400
parmenterc1450
pricklouse?a1513
Tom Tailor1575
stitcher1589
scissor man1593
cutter1599
snip1600
snipper1611
shred1616
needleman1621
fashioner1631
snip-snappera1632
sartor1656
nipshred1661
stult1675
cabbage1694
linen-armourer1699
stitch1699
snip-cabbage1708
tire-man1709
knight of the needlea1777
stay-tape1785
schneider1796
needle-jerker1801
skip-louse1807
darzi1809
cross-legs1823
tog-maker1901
knight of the shears-
1616 B. Jonson Cynthias Revels (rev. ed.) v. iv, in Wks. I. 246 Mer. You slaue, you list, you shreds... Ana. S'foot, we must vse our taylors thus.
1632 P. Massinger & N. Field Fatall Dowry iii. sig. F2v That poore shred Can bring more to the making vp of a man.
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Shred, a Tailer.
e. transferred (of cloud, mist, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > cloud > [noun] > a cloud > small cloud
speck1744
cloudlet1788
shred1835
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > cloud > mist > [noun] > layer, bank, etc., of mist
bank1601
sheeta1774
streamer1871
weft1883
shred1912
1835 M. Scott Cruise of Midge xv, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. May 789/2 These fibres, or shreds of clouds.
1877 W. Black Green Pastures & Piccadilly II. xvii. 257 The windy shreds of cloud.
1912 Eng. Rev. Nov. 514 Some shreds [of mist] are caught among the topmost trees.
f. (See quot. 1898.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > excretory disorders > [noun] > material passed with faeces
shred1897
1846 G. E. Day tr. J. F. Simon Animal Chem. II. 2 Membranous shreds are sometimes observed [in the saliva].
1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. III. 923 Loose motions containing much mucus or ‘shreds’ or ‘casts’, or even blood.
1898 New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon Shreds, patches of filmy material passed with the fæcal discharges in some cases of enteritis and diarrhœa.
4. A length or end of gold or silver thread or lace. archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > thread or yarn > [noun] > metallic > gold or silver
goldOE
fildora1350
gold or silk threadc1386
purl1394
silver1423
shreda1450
Venice gold1506
Venice silver1574
spun gold1728
passing1848
tambour1899
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric manufactured in specific way > [noun] > consisting of loops or looped stitches > lace > made from specific materials > gold or silver > length of
shreda1450
a1450 Le Morte Arth. 2359 Launcelot and the quene were cledde In Robes of A Riche wede, Off Samyte white, with syluer shredde.
1583 P. Stubbes Second Pt. Anat. Abuses sig. F6 Neuer so litle scraps or shreds or short ends of lace.
1765 O. Goldsmith Ess. xxvi. 231 Half the charms that deck'd her face, Arose from powder, shreds, or lace.
1845 G. P. R. James Arrah Neil I. ii. 20 His doublet..displayed a great number of ornamented buttons, and shreds of gold lace.
5. in, into shreds: in or into small fragments. to tear to shreds (also, shred by shred): to rend into small pieces; figurative to destroy, annihilate.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or breaking up into constituent parts > into (small) pieces [phrase]
in (also into, on, a) piecesa1275
(all) to shiversc1275
to piecesc1300
asundera1325
to set in sunderc1325
in sunderc1390
in, into shredsc1400
in small1419
in piecemeal?a1425
in piecemealsa1470
by piecemeals1576
in shivers1589
in or into splinters1612
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (transitive)] > annihilate or blot out of existence
dilghec897
defacec1386
annul1395
anientec1400
refer?c1400
extinct1484
annihil1490
delete1495
out-terma1500
perspoil1523
extaintc1540
extinguish1555
blot1561
wipe1564
to cut the throat of1565
annihilate1567
dissipatea1575
annihilate1586
nullify1609
nullize1615
expunge1628
nothing1637
null1647
extramund1654
be-nothing1674
erase1728
obliterate1798
simoom1821
to tear to shreds1837
snuff1852
mop1859
to take out1900
napoo1915
naught1958
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > tearing or tearing apart > tear [verb (transitive)] > tear apart
to-loukc890
to-braidc893
to-tearc893
to-teec893
to-rendc950
to-breakc1200
to-tugc1220
to-lima1225
rivea1250
to-drawa1250
to-tosea1250
drawa1300
rendc1300
to-rit13..
to-rivec1300
to-tusec1300
rakea1325
renta1325
to-pullc1330
to-tightc1330
tirec1374
halea1398
lacerate?a1425
to-renta1425
yryve1426
raga1450
to pull to (or in) piecesc1450
ravec1450
discerp1483
pluck1526
rip1530
decerp1531
rift1534
dilaniate1535
rochec1540
rack1549
teasea1550
berend1577
distract1585
ream1587
distrain1590
unrive1592
unseam1592
outrive1598
divulse1602
dilacerate1604
harrow1604
tatter1608
mammocka1616
uprentc1620
divell1628
divellicate1638
seam-rend1647
proscind1659
skail1768
screeda1785
spret1832
to tear to shreds1837
ribbon1897
c1400 Melayne 1093 Hawberkes sone in schredis were schorne.
1762 W. Falconer Shipwreck ii. 18 ‘Brail up the mizen quick!’ the Master cries: ‘Mann the clue-garnetts, let the main-sheet fly!’ In thousand shiv'ring shreds it rends on high!
1813 W. Scott Rokeby vi. 300 ‘Give Oswald's letter’—Bertram read, And tore it fiercely, shred by shred.
1819 J. Keats Why did I laugh To-night? 12 Yet would I..the world's gaudy ensigns see in shreds.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. vi. iii. 320 A Townhall torn to shreds.
1855 R. Browning Fra Lippo Lippi in Men & Women I. 38 Into shreds it went, Curtain and counterpane and coverlet.
1878 W. E. H. Lecky Hist. Eng. 18th Cent. I. i. 25 Lewis tore to shreds the treaty he had signed.
1903 ‘S. G. Tallentyre’ Life Voltaire II. xxxix. 217 It tore Vernet's reputation to shreds.
6. A fragment, small piece, little bit, scrap (of something immaterial).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > a small quantity or amount > a very small amount > specifically of something immaterial
sparkc888
shredc1400
drop1576
scrap1607
particle1620
atom1626
morsel1779
thimbleful1789
glimmer1837
flicker1849
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a separate part > a piece or bit > small piece > specifically of something immaterial
shredc1400
scrap1607
filament1868
c1400 Brut cxcvii Allas! Holonde me haþ bitraiede! Ay is in þe rede [? = red-haired man] of somme euel shrede.
a1529 J. Skelton Speke Parrot in Certayne Bks. (?1545) sig. A.iiiv Suche shredis of sentence, strowed in the shop Of auncyent Aristippus.
1593 G. Harvey Pierces Supererogation 63 The dregges of common scurrilitie, or the shreds of the theater.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) i. i. 206 They said they were an hungry, sigh'd forth Prouerbes... With these shreds They vented their Complainings. View more context for this quotation
1642 J. Milton Apol. Smectymnuus 18 This was a shred in his common place-book.
a1657 G. Daniel Poems (1878) II. 39 A despis'd Shred of mankind.
1743 R. Blair Grave 14 As if a Slave was not a Shred of Nature.
1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature (1834) I. 504 It is a shred torn off from the substance.
1835 H. Miller Scenes & Legends N. Scotl. x. 159 Shreds of heretic sermons would be whispered over their ale.
1868 J. T. Nettleship Ess. Browning's Poetry iv. 113 I must preserve a shred of independence in my inner self.
1885 Times (Weekly ed.) 9 Oct. 2/2 Not a shred or shadow of truth.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > bough or branch > twig
stickeOE
twigc950
yardc950
sprintlea1250
ricec1275
twistc1374
sarmenta1398
tinea1400
lancec1400
pirnc1450
shred15..
shrubc1530
shrag1552
taunt1567
ramelet1652
hag wood1804
hag1808
fibre1810
twiglet1849
virgultum1866
thorn-twig1895
twigling1907
15.. Guye of Gisborne i, in Furniv. Percy Folio II. 227 When shales beeene [sic] sheene, and shradds full fayre, and leeues both Large and longe.
1599 T. Moffett Silkewormes 72 To view vppon one birchen shredde Some hundred Clewes to hang like clustred peares.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1914; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
shredadj.
/ʃrɛd/, U.S. /ʃrɛd/ 1. = shredded adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > [adjective] > divided > divided into small parts
yscreddec1430
shredded1577
minced1581
shred1665
morselled1799
comminuted1860
1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 147 The stinging of shred Hors~hair.
1743 E. Moxon Eng. Housewifry (new ed.) 9 Stuff the other Part with shred Parsley.
1804 ‘Ignotus’ Culina 79 As much..shred onion, as will lie upon a quarter guinea.
1897 M. Kingsley Trav. W. Afr. 470 Shred-up palm-leaves.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > management of plants > [adjective] > pruned
shred1638
1638 R. Brathwait Barnabees Journall (new ed.) iv. sig. Z6 Sweet Briers, Shred vines, privet bushes.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1914; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
shredv.
/ʃrɛd/, U.S. /ʃrɛd/ a. transitive. To rid (a tree, vine, vineyard) of superfluous growth; to prune. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > [verb (intransitive)] > prune or lop
shredc1000
browse1550
lop1594
summer prune1731
the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > [verb (transitive)] > trees: prune or lop
sneda800
shredc1000
crop?c1225
purgec1384
parea1398
shear1398
shridea1425
dodc1440
polla1449
twist1483
top1509
stow1513
lop1519
bough?1523
head?1523
poll-shred1530
prune1547
prime1565
twig1570
reform1574
disbranch1575
shroud1577
snathe1609
detruncate1623
amputate1638
abnodate1656
duba1661
to strip up1664
reprune1666
pollard1670
shrub1682
log1699
switch1811
limb1835
preen1847
to cut back1871
shrig1873
brash1950
summer prune1980
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivation of plants or crops > viticulture > [verb (transitive)] > prune vines
shredc1000
pampine?1440
c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 74 Gif se wingeard..ne bið onriht gescreadod.
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (Bodl.) ix. xxx In lente vynes and oþer treen beþ ikutte & pared, and ischred of superfluitees.
c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 26 Alle paryschenys þat..schredyn, or croppyn, ony treen in cherche-ȝerde.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xliiv It is the commen guyse to begyn at the toppe of the tree, whan he shalbe shrede or cropped.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xliiv If thou haue any trees to shrede, loppe, or croppe for the fyre wode.
1563 A. Golding tr. Justinus Hist. Trogus Pompeius xliii. f. 163 They lerned to shred theire vynes.
1620 J. Wilkinson Treat. Statutes conc. Coroners & Sherifes (new ed.) 119 Trees and hedges which hang over the kings high waies must be cut and shredded.
1707 J. Mortimer Whole Art Husbandry (1721) II. 73 As for Timber-Trees, it is best not to head them at all, but to shred them up to one single Bough.
1762 Lease 10 Dec. in Jrnl. House of Commons (1792) XLVII. 254/1 The Shreddings of all such Trees [that]..have heretofore been used to be lopped, cut, or shred.
b. figurative. To strip (a person) of his wealth or some possession; to fleece. (Cf. shredded adj. b.) Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > loss > taking away > take away [verb (transitive)] > fleece
milk?1531
shred1548
suck1558
shear1570
fleece1575
shave1606
unfleece1609
jib1728
skin1819
sweat1847
1548 W. Patten Exped. Scotl. F ij A good fellowe,..that hath cum to a dycyng boord..and hath soon bene shred of al that euer he brought.
1579 E. Hake Newes out of Powles Churchyarde newly Renued ii. sig. B7 To shred him cleane from all his wealth.
1650 J. Trapp Clavis to Bible (Gen. xviii. 19) 142 He that hid his talent, was soon shred of it.
2. † a. To lop off (branches), esp. in pruning. In first quot. figurative. Obsolete.† b. To cut or strip off; to cut (a piece) from or out of. Obsolete.figurative.1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xxxvii. 148 The retained [religion] must pitch the defence of her truth, in some paucity of choice: seeing the liuinges are shred, which should serue the great number.1596 T. Nashe Haue with you to Saffron-Walden sig. S2v I know what you are about to saye, but Ile shred you off three leaues at one blowe.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > [verb (transitive)] > trees: prune or lop > branches: prune or lop
sneda800
shredc1000
crop?c1225
prune1572
shrig1601
head1989
c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 74 Buton ða lareowas screadian symle ða leahtras þurh heora lare aweg, ne bið þæt læwede folc wæstmbære.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 138 Hew doun this tree..And let of schreden every braunche.
1541 T. Elyot Image of Gouernance xxxiii. f. 76 Yf the bowghes be rotten or seare, the owner wyll shrede them.
1568 J. Withals Shorte Dict. (1644) 124 The superfluous and wast sprigs of Vines, beeing cut and shreaded off.
1631 Bp. J. Hall Occas. Medit. (ed. 2) (2nd state) §cxvi If thou shouldest deale with me as I deserue, thou shouldst not only shred my boughs, but cut downe my stocke.
1662 J. A. Comenius Janua Linguarum Trilinguis 76 He loppeth (shreddeth) off the suckers.
1707 J. Mortimer Whole Art Husbandry (1721) II. 32 Though they will grow amongst other Wood provided you shred up the side Boughs.
1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Walnut-Tree You must by no means, in the Removal of them cut the Head, only shred up the side Branches.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > detach [verb (transitive)] > cut off
becarveOE
carvec1000
hewc1000
shredc1275
cuta1300
chapc1325
cleavec1330
off-shearc1330
withscore1340
to cut offc1380
colea1400
slivea1400
to score awayc1400
abscisea1500
discidea1513
sharea1529
off-trenchc1530
off-hewc1540
pare1549
detrench1553
slice?1560
detrunk1566
sneck1578
resect1579
shred1580
curtail1594
off-chop1594
lop?1602
disbranch1608
abscind1610
snip1611
circumcise1613
desecate1623
discerpa1628
amputate1638
absciss1639
prescind1640
notch1820
1580 T. M. in Baret's Aluearie (rev. ed.) To Rdr. sig. A.vi/2 And there with floures he stuffeth first his Hiue, From which he Honie from the best hath shred.
1583 B. Melbancke Philotimus (new ed.) sig. Fj v Too much drought doth shred the leaues.
1595 Mourning Muse Thestylis in E. Spenser Astrophel sig. G4 Purple flowre, Which languisheth being shred by culter as it past.
1614 A. Gorges tr. Lucan Pharsalia ii. 52 One pares his eares from off his head, Another doth his nostrels shred.
1614 A. Gorges tr. Lucan Pharsalia iii. 111 This maister with his brasse-beake head, Out of a Roman ship had shred A mighty planke.
a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Henry IV v, in Poems (1878) IV. 2 Th' vnguided Rage Of an Insultinge Conquerour, who shreds Maiesty like the mounting Poppie-Heads.
1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward I. ii. 41 Traps, armed with scythe-blades, which shred off the unwary passenger's limb.
c. To cut off (a lock of hair).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > detach [verb (transitive)] > cut off > specifically a lock of hair
shred1808
1808 W. Scott Marmion iii. xvii. 150 They durst not, for their island, shred One golden ringlet from her head.
1856–9 Novels & Tales from Househ. Words (Tauchn.) I. 339 (Flügel) Where [a haircutter] had once shred their locks.
a. To pare, peel. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > uncovering > uncover or remove covering from [verb (transitive)] > strip or make bare > strip off (a covering)
shredc1000
tirvec1300
to turn offc1390
stripc1430
tirr1584
tirl1603
skin1659
c1000 Ælfric Homilies I. 88 Þa het he him his seax aræcan to screadigenne ænne æppel.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 8118 He badd himm brinngenn ænne cnif An appell forr to shrædenn.
1639 O. Wood Alphabet. Bk. Physicall Secrets 197 Then shred off the inner bark of a white Bullas tree.
b. transferred. To cut away a part of, cut down, shave away. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > detach [verb (transitive)] > cut off
becarveOE
carvec1000
hewc1000
shredc1275
cuta1300
chapc1325
cleavec1330
off-shearc1330
withscore1340
to cut offc1380
colea1400
slivea1400
to score awayc1400
abscisea1500
discidea1513
sharea1529
off-trenchc1530
off-hewc1540
pare1549
detrench1553
slice?1560
detrunk1566
sneck1578
resect1579
shred1580
curtail1594
off-chop1594
lop?1602
disbranch1608
abscind1610
snip1611
circumcise1613
desecate1623
discerpa1628
amputate1638
absciss1639
prescind1640
notch1820
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 2926 Kerueð eowre spere longe. & makiet heom scorte..scradieð eower sceldes. al of þe smal enden.
4.
a. To cut into shreds or small thin strips or slices; esp. in Cookery, so that the shreds curl.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > condition of being broad in relation to thickness > make broad in relation to thickness [verb (transitive)] > cut into thin flat pieces
shredc1386
slicea1475
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > general preparation processes > perform general preparation processes [verb (transitive)] > cut in small pieces
shredc1386
dice?c1390
sippet1689
mumble1728
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > division by cutting > divide by cutting [verb (transitive)] > cut into pieces > into strips or shreds
shredc1386
sliver1608
strip1885
c1386 G. Chaucer Clerk's Tale 227 Wortes or othere herbes..The whiche she shredde and seeth.
1388 Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) 2 Kings iv. 39 He gaderide therof gourdis of the feeld..and schredde in to the pot of potage.
c1440 Pallad. on Husb. viii. 139 A pound and vncis sixe yshrad be do.
1584 T. Cogan Hauen of Health l. 58 Take unset Leekes..shread them small and distill them.
1648 T. Gage Eng.-Amer. vi. 19 Had they beene but that night with the Indians, doubtlesse they had beene shred for their Suppers.
1656 tr. Marnettè Perfect Cook i. xliv. 115 Grate or shred fat Bacon or lard with a grater or knife.
a1756 E. Haywood New Present (1771) 197 Shred very fine a pound of suet.
1836 F. Marryat Japhet I. x. 122 We were employed by Fleta in shredding vegetables.
1884 F. Boyle On Borderland 371 I shredded some Spanish moss, bound up his wounds,..and set out for home.
1908 Motor Boat 5 Mar. 133/2 To shred up some best yellow soap and dissolve it in water.
b. To cut or tear (textile stuff) into shreds or narrow strips; to reduce to shreds; also, to tear (paper, etc.) into shreds; spec. to reduce (documents) to unreadable strips or fragments by means of a shredder (cf. shredding n. 4).
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > tearing or tearing apart > tear [verb (transitive)] > tear paper or cloth, or make ragged
breakOE
rive1415
to-ragc1430
raga1603
shred1613
to rip up1891
1613 J. May Declar. Estate of Clothing v. 24 The vse of short thrums is likewise so ordered, that they take and shred into short length, and then lay it in steepe.
1811 J. Taylor Remarks Present State Devon in T. Risdon Chorogr. Surv. Devon (new ed.) p. xxiii The..Serges are shredded or cut up into small pieces.
1890 A. Hosie Three Years W. China 19 There is an entire absence of machinery for washing and shredding rags.
1906 A. Conan Doyle Sir Nigel v With his own hands he had shredded those august documents.
1950 Paper-Maker Aug. 151 (advt.) The ‘Watford’ Shredder and Duster..gives most excellent results in shredding and dusting waste papers.
1974 C. Bernstein & B. Woodward All President's Men xiii. 267 People became afraid that the newspapers might be discovered, so someone said, ‘Shred them.’
1980 Daily Tel. 3 Nov. 1/4 One of his jobs was to check and shred hundreds of bundles of secret and confidential papers.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > cut [verb (transitive)] > cut to pieces
to-carvec950
forhewa1000
forcarveOE
to-hackc1000
to-hewc1000
to-slivec1050
to-brittenc1175
shredc1275
to-snedc1275
to-race1297
smitec1300
dismember1303
hewa1382
hew1382
to-cut1382
forcutc1386
brit?a1400
splatc1400
to-shredc1405
upshear1430
detrench1470
dispiece1477
thrusche1483
till-hew1487
despiecea1492
rip1530
share?1566
hash1591
shamble1601
becut1630
betrench1656
mincemeat1861
becarve1863
c1275 Sinners Beware 328 in Old Eng. Misc. 83 Þe feondes heom forþ ledeþ Boþe lychom and saule And beteþ heom and schredeþ.
?a1400 Morte Arth. 2688 Thoffe my schouldire be schrede.
a1440 Sir Degrev. 293 Schyre scheldus they schrede.
a1450 Le Morte Arth. 2563 Than shall we oute vppon them Ryde And shredde them downe as shepe in folde.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry V f. lixv The capitaines of Roan..cut doune trees, shrede the busshes, destroyed the vines.
1627 M. Drayton Battaile Agincourt 30 Another wafts his Blade about his head, And shewes them how their hamstrings he will shread.
a1637 B. Jonson Tale of Tub iv. ii. 52 in Wks. (1640) III This sword shall shred thee as small unto the grave, As minc'd meat for a pie. View more context for this quotation
6.
a. To divide into small portions.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > divide [verb (transitive)] > into small parts
mince?c1450
morsel1598
shred1660
comminute1836
1660 T. Lye in J. Nichols Morn. Exerc. (1845) V. 285 I shall not stand to shred the words into any unneccessary parts.
1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge 145 Indivisibles, such as can't be shread.
1859 C. Dickens Tale of Two Cities i. v. 19 Hunger was shred into atomies in every farthing porringer of husky chips of potato.
b. intransitive. To be reduced to shreds; to become divided or scattered into small portions.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or breaking up into constituent parts > undergo separation into constituents [verb (intransitive)] > cease to cohere > disintegrate > into small pieces
fitterc1380
foulder1610
shred1647
shoal1733
fritter1794
fragment1961
1647 J. Hall Poems i. 21 May these Roses here To palenesse shred, And Lilies stand disguised in new Red.
1889 ‘M. Twain’ Connecticut Yankee xliii. 554 At last it [sc.smoke] began to shred away lazily.
1891 A. Conan Doyle White Company x The forest began to shred out into scattered belts of trees.
7.
a. transitive. To cut in two, sever, as with scissors: chiefly with reference to severing the thread of life. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > cause of death > cause death [verb (transitive)] > sever thread of life
shred?1566
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > division by cutting > divide by cutting [verb (transitive)]
cutc1300
shed13..
tamec1400
to-carvec1400
discidea1513
share?1566
shred?1566
dissect1608
slit1638
disecta1690
sned1889
?1566 J. Phillip Commodye Pacient & Meeke Grissill sig. H.ii Possesse thou myne while death deuide, & shred my File in twain.
1575 G. Gascoigne Dan Bartholmew in Posies in Wks. (1907) I. 118 O sheare that shreadst the seemerent sheete of shame.
1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene iv. ii. sig. C2 When ye shred with fatall knife His line. View more context for this quotation
1614 A. Gorges tr. Lucan Pharsalia i. 4 When..Atrops knife Shall shred in twaine thy time of life.
b. To divide into two parts, cleave.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > two > division into two > divide in two [verb (transitive)]
twain15..
shred1765
bisect1780
1765 Museum Rusticum 3 lxxxix. 371 [The shepherd] must shred or open the wool.
1881 Daily Tel. 28 Jan. To see the beautiful hull shredding the water.
Draft additions 1993
c. figurative. To defeat overwhelmingly, to trounce. slang (originally U.S.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > mastery or superiority > have or gain mastery or superiority over [verb (transitive)] > overcome or defeat > soundly
threshc1384
to knock the socks offa1529
thump1597
thrash1609
thwacka1616
capot1649
to beat to snuff1819
to knock into a cocked hat1830
to —— (the) hell out of1833
sledgehammer1834
rout1835
whop1836
skin1838
whip-saw1842
to knock (the) spots off1850
to make mincemeat of1853
to mop (up) the floor with1875
to beat pointless1877
to lick into fits1879
to take apart1880
to knock out1883
wax1884
contund1885
to give (a person) fits1885
to wipe the floor with1887
flatten1892
to knock (someone) for six1902
slaughter1903
slather1910
to hit for six1937
hammer1948
whomp1952
bulldozer1954
zilch1957
shred1966
tank1973
slam-dunk1975
beast1977
1966 N.Y. Times (Internat. ed.) 22 Apr. 12/5 The Celtics shredded the Los Angeles Lakers..with a third-quarter explosion and scored a 120–106 victory.
1980 Newsweek 17 Nov. 7/1 His counter-revolution shredded the old Democratic victory coalition.
1987 Speedway Star 26 Sept. 16/3 Despite losing Mel Taylor in a Heat 4 accident at West Row, Fen Tigers shredded Eagles.
Draft additions 1993
d. Surfing. To cut or plough rapidly through (the water, etc.) on a surfboard; also transferred, to travel along (a track, etc.) at speed. Also intransitive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > move swiftly [verb (intransitive)]
lakeOE
flyOE
runOE
scour13..
jace1393
hie1398
spina1400
fleetc1400
glentc1400
stripc1400
suea1450
carryc1450
speed1488
scud1532
streek1598
winga1616
to clip it1616
hackney1617
swifta1618
whirryc1630
dust1673
whew1684
race1702
stroke1735
cut1797
spank1807
skid1815
speela1818
crack1824
skimmer1824
slap1827
clip1832
skeet1838
marvel1841
lick1850
travel1850
rush1852
zip1852
sail1876
rabbit1887
move1906
high-tail1908
to ball the jack1914
buzz1914
shift1922
giddap1938
burn1942
hoosh1943
bomb1966
shred1977
society > travel > [verb (transitive)] > go along a way or road > quickly
overruna1425
snick1883
shred1977
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > water sports except racing > surfing > surf-ride [verb (intransitive)] > actions of surfer
pearl-dive1923
slide1931
hot-dog1959
to hang five, ten1962
to kick out1962
to cut back1963
to pull out1963
to pull off1964
nose-ride1965
rollercoaster1969
shred1977
rail1986
to pull in1987
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > water sports except racing > surfing > surf [verb (transitive)] > cut through water on surf board
shred1977
1977 G. F. R. Filosa Surfer's Almanac 194 Shred, to rip, to perform alaia style in superb fashion.
1985 Surfer Sept. 86/3 I love the way they..just shred everything in sight—carving, slashing aerials and snapbacks.
1985 Surfer Sept. 104/3 When the surf is flat Zamba can be found in a number of places. She might be shredding up a trail on her dirtbike.
1987 Dirt Wheels Mag. Aug. 31/1 A Warrior showed up during practice but didn't sign up after seeing the Dirt Wheels Mojave shred the track!
1988 P. Hill & S. Hill Skate Hard 75/1 Chances are if you want to shred vertical you need a ramp.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1914; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.c1000
adj.1638
v.c1000