fracture
     n 1: breaking of hard tissue such as bone; "it was a nasty
          fracture"; "the break seems to have been caused by a
          fall" [syn: {break}]
     2: (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the
        displacement of one side with respect to the other; "they
        built it right over a geological fault" [syn: {fault}, {geological
        fault}, {shift}, {break}]
     3: the act of cracking something [syn: {crack}, {cracking}]
     v 1: violate or abuse; "This writer really fractures the
          language"
     2: interrupt, break, or destroy; "fracture the balance of
        power"
     3: break into pieces; "The pothole fractured a bolt on the
        axle"
     4: become fractured; "The tibia fractured from the blow of the
        iron pipe"
     5: break (a bone); "She broke her clavicle"
     6: fracture a bone of; "I broke my foot while playing hockey"
        [syn: {break}]
Source: WordNet® 2.0