shred

[shred] /ʃrɛd/
noun
1.
a piece cut or torn off, especially in a narrow strip.
2.
a bit; scrap:
We haven't got a shred of evidence.
verb (used with object), shredded or shred, shredding.
3.
to cut or tear into small pieces, especially small strips; reduce to shreds.
verb (used without object), shredded or shred, shredding.
4.
to be cut up, torn, etc.:
The blouse had shredded.
Origin
before 1000; (noun) Middle English schrede, Old English scrēade; cognate with Old Norse skrjōthr worn-out book, German Schrot chips; (v.) Middle English schreden, Old English scrēadian to pare, trim; akin to shroud; cf. screed
Related forms
shredless, adjective
shredlike, adjective
unshredded, adjective
Examples from the web for shredded
  • Note already shredded cheese is coated with a non caking agent.
  • Soon the snake is shredded, and not a chicken is bitten.
  • Pineapples may be shredded and cooked in one-half their weight of sugar without water, and then put in jars.
  • The metal pieces are magnetically removed, and the remaining fiber materials are then shredded and baled.
  • Galaxy's offerings come shredded, grated, in slices and in hunks.
  • Tires are being recycled, once shredded into filler for road surfaces and many molded products.
  • Over time the dwarfs shredded and consumed many of the survivors as well.
  • Eventually, they will likely end up shredded and replaced by newer, crisper banknotes.
  • Writer describes the process by which scrap metal is shredded and sorted for sale.
  • And menu prices shredded by the favorable exchange rate.
British Dictionary definitions for shredded

shred

/ʃrɛd/
noun
1.
a long narrow strip or fragment torn or cut off
2.
a very small piece or amount; scrap
verb shreds, shredding, shredded, shred
3.
(transitive) to tear or cut into shreds
Derived Forms
shredder, noun
Word Origin
Old English scread; related to Old Norse skrjōthr torn-up book, Old High German scrōt cut-off piece; see scroll, shroud, screed
Word Origin and History for shredded
adj.

1570s, past participle adjective from shred (v.). Shredded wheat is recorded from 1885.

shred

n.

Old English screade "piece cut off, cutting, scrap," from West Germanic *skrauth- (cf. Old Frisian skred "a cutting, clipping," Middle Dutch schroode "shred," Middle Low German schrot "piece cut off," Old High German scrot, "scrap, shred, a cutting, piece cut off," German Schrot ""log, block, small shot"," Old Norse skrydda "shriveled skin"), from PIE *skreu- "to cut; cutting tool," extension of root *(s)ker- (1) "to cut" (see shear (v.)).

v.

Old English screadian "to peel, prune, cut off," from Proto-Germanic *skrauth- (cf. Middle Dutch scroden, Dutch schroeien, Old High German scrotan, German schroten "to shred"), from root of shred (n.). Meaning "cut or tear into shreds" is from 1610s. Related: Shredded; shredding.