Spalt
adj, noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 spelter. uncountable
- 1 To break off pieces, or have them broken off, especially with an axe etc; to splinter. ambitransitive
- 1 brittle.
"Note: (US) Spalted wood is that which has been cut from a naturally cured, dead, or dying hardwood tree whose wood is normally light in color (such as pecan), and which exhibits patterns of dark stain (crazed) lines and splotches caused by microorganisms and/or fungus. Although slightly more brittle and porous than normal wood from the same species of tree, spalted wood nevertheless can be used to make decorative items and small pieces of furniture."
- 2 heedless; clumsy; pert; saucy.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"Note: (US) Spalted wood is that which has been cut from a naturally cured, dead, or dying hardwood tree whose wood is normally light in color (such as pecan), and which exhibits patterns of dark stain (crazed) lines and splotches caused by microorganisms and/or fungus. Although slightly more brittle and porous than normal wood from the same species of tree, spalted wood nevertheless can be used to make decorative items and small pieces of furniture."
Etymology
Compare German Spalt (“stein”), from spalten (“to split”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.