- a thin, sharp piece that has been cut, split, or broken off something; splinter
- any slender fragment or portion: the cresecent moon was a sliver of light
- a loose, thin, continuous fiber or strand, as of wool or flax after carding, ready to be drawn and twisted
Origin of sliver
Middle English slivere from sliven, to cut, cleave from Old English slifan, to split from Indo-European an unverified form skleip- from base an unverified form (s)kel-: see slit