Word: shred Part of Speech: verb Etymology: The verb is derived from Middle English shreden, shred (“to chop, cut up; to cut, hack; to wound with a knife; to cut off a part of (something); to prune, trim”) [and other forms], from Old English sċrēadian (“to cut up, shred; to cut off; to prune, trim”), from Proto-West Germanic *skraudōn, related to Proto-West Germanic *skraudan (“to cut up; to shred”), from Proto-Germanic *skraudaną (“to cut up; to shred”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off”). The adjective is derived from the past participle form of the verb. Pronunciation: /ʃɹɛd/ 1. To cut or tear (something) into long, narrow pieces or strips. Labels: transitive Example: Take a little grated Bread, ſome Beef-ſuet, yolks of hard Eggs, three Anchovies, a bit of an Onion, Salt and Pepper, Tyme and VVinter-ſavory, tvvelve Oyſters, ſome Nutmeg grated; mix all theſe together, and ſhred them very fine, and vvork them up vvith ravv Eggs like a paſte, and ſtuff your Mutton under the Skin in the thickeſt place, or vvhere you pleaſe, and roaſt it; […] 2. To destroy (a document) by cutting or tearing into strips or small pieces that cannot easily be read, especially using a shredder. Labels: specifically, transitive Example: But then there was the awkward incident of the tearing of the writs. Nigel, to whom a lie was an impossibility, had to admit that with his own hands he had shredded those august documents. 3. To cut (fruit peel, a vegetable, etc.) into thin strips that curl. Labels: specifically, transitive 4. To separate (something) into small portions. Labels: transitive Example: Hunger was shred into atomies in every farthing porringer of husky chips of potato, fried with some reluctant drops of oil. 5. To reduce (something) by a large percentage; to slash. Labels: figuratively, slang, transitive Example: Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder, never wanted his customers to worry about shipping – about how much it cost, or about how long it would take – and he relentlessly shredded delivery times to make shipping incidental to the purchasing experience. 6. Chiefly in rock and heavy metal: to play (a musical instrument (especially a guitar) or a piece of music) very fast and in a way that requires technical skill. Labels: figuratively, slang, transitive 7. To cut through (snow, water, etc.) swiftly with one's snowboard, surfboard, etc.; (by extension) to move or ride along (a road, track, etc.) aggressively and rapidly. Labels: figuratively, slang, transitive 8. To convincingly defeat (someone); to thrash, to trounce. Labels: figuratively, slang, transitive 9. To cut or sever (something) into two parts. Labels: archaic, transitive Example: Then ſince (quoth ſhe) the terme of each mans life / For nought may leſſened nor enlarged bee, / Graunt this, that vvhen ye ſhred vvith fatall knife / His line, vvhich is the eldeſt of the three, / VVhich of them the ſhorteſt, as I ſee, / Eftſoones his life may paſſe into the next; […] 10. To chop or cut (something) into pieces. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: Another vvafts his Blade about his head, / And ſhevvs them hovv their hãſtrings [hamstrings] he vvil ſhread. Example: Seeſt thou this, bold bright blade? / This Sword ſhall ſhred thee as ſmall unto the Grave, / As minc'd meat for a Pie. 11. To cut, lop, or strip (branches, etc.) off; also, to cut (a piece) from something. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: To call in queſtion the iuriſdiction of Archbiſhops, they affirme that no man is to take vpon him an office but hee that is called, as vvas Aaron: but they are not avvare, that the ſame poſition ſhreddeth avvay the vvilde autoritie of doctors, elders, conſiſtorie, conferences, & their abſurd and irregular Synodes, vvhich (as enemies in an aſſault enter the breach) vvould ſteale into the Church through the ruines thereof. Example: You ly, you ly, Gabriell: I know what you are about to ſaye, but He ſhred you off three leaves at one blowe. 12. To prune or trim (a tree, a vineyard, etc.). Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: As for Timber-trees, it is beſt not to head them at all, but to ſhred them up to one ſingle Bough, if the Soil be good that you plant them in; […] 13. To become separated into small portions. Labels: intransitive Example: We couldn't see over the wall of smoke, and we couldn't see through it. But at last it began to shred away lazily, and by the end of another quarter-hour the land was clear and our curiosity was enabled to satisfy itself. No living creature was in sight! Example: What is this that rises before me? Mist, mist, rolling mist with a square black tower above it. See it shreds out, it thins, it rises, and there lies a castle in a green plain, with the sea beneath it, and a great church within a bow-shot. 14. To reduce body weight due to fat and water before a competition. Labels: intransitive 15. To travel swiftly using a snowboard, surfboard, or vehicle. Labels: intransitive, usually