What does "spall" mean?
A splinter, fragment or chip, especially of stone.
Spall
/spɔːl/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A splinter, fragment or chip, especially of stone.
- Grammar: spall is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: chip, chip off, displace, eject.
- Useful contrasts: absorb, adhere, adhesion.
- Usage evidence: My father knew Bert Le Feuvre, the foreman of Griffith's yard, and there was a little heap of spawls waiting ready every night in summer after school for me to crack.
How to use "spall"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "spall" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "spall" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "spall" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "spall" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "spall" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "chip" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "spall", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A splinter, fragment or chip, especially of stone. countable
"My father knew Bert Le Feuvre, the foreman of Griffith's yard, and there was a little heap of spawls waiting ready every night in summer after school for me to crack."
- 2 The shoulder. obsolete, rare
"Their mightie ſtrokes their haberieons diſmayld, / And naked made each others manly ſpalles; […]"
- 3 a fragment broken off from the edge or face of stone or ore and having at least one thin edge wordnet
- 4 A process of weathering, aging, or other wear that involves the crumbling of the substrate. uncountable
"The failure of this bearing involved spall under high load."
Verb
- 1 To break into fragments or small pieces. ambitransitive
"Cobbed Ore is the ſpalled which is broke out of the ſolid large ſtones with ſledges"
- 2 To undergo weathering, aging, or other wear that involves the crumbling of the substrate. especially
"When the bearing race spalled under high load, it led to the failure of the bearing."
- 3 To reduce, as irregular blocks of stone, to an approximately level surface by hammering. transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"My father knew Bert Le Feuvre, the foreman of Griffith's yard, and there was a little heap of spawls waiting ready every night in summer after school for me to crack."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "spall"?
Common synonyms include: chip, chip off, displace, eject, emit, flake.
How do you use "spall" in a sentence?
My father knew Bert Le Feuvre, the foreman of Griffith's yard, and there was a little heap of spawls waiting ready every night in summer after school for me to crack.
How do you pronounce "spall"?
Pronounced /spɔːl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English spalle (“a chip”) (first documented in 1440), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from the Middle English verb spald (“to split”) (c.1400), from Middle Low German spalden, cognate with Old High German spaltan (“to split”).
Etymology 2
From Italian spalla.
Etymology 3
Unknown.