splint / splint/ • n. 1. a strip of rigid material used for supporting and immobilizing a broken bone when it has been set: she had to wear splints on her legs.2. a long, thin strip of wood used to light a fire. ∎  a rigid or flexible strip, esp. of wood, used in basketwork.3. a bony enlargement on the inside of a horse's leg, on the splint bone.• v. [tr.] secure (a broken limb) with a splint or splints: his leg was splinted.

splint plate of overlapping metal in medieval armour XIII; slender or thin slip of wood, etc.; (dial.) splinter XIV; (in farriery) tumour developing into a bony excrescence XVI; laminated coal XVIII. — MLG. splente, splinte, MDu. splinte (Du. splint); rel. to next
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splint (splint) n. a rigid appliance (orthosis) used to support or hold a limb or digit in position until healing of a fracture, dislocation, or soft-tissue injury has occurred.