shred

Etymology 1

From Middle English shrede, shred (“fragment, piece, scrap; piece cut off from something; strip of material; ornamental strip hanging from the edge of a garment; thread; band or thread woven in a garment; element, streak; plant (?)”) [and other forms], from Late Old English sċrēad, sċrēade (“piece cut off from something; a paring; a shred”), from Proto-Germanic *skraudō (“a piece, shred; a crack; a cut”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off”). Doublet of escrow.

noun

1. A fragment of something; a particle; a piece; also, a very small amount.
   There isn’t a shred of evidence to support his claims.
   But signalman Bridges was never to answer driver Gimbert's desperate question. A deafening, massive blast blew the wagon to shreds, the 44 high-explosive bombs exploding like simultaneous hits from the aircraft they should have been dropped from. The station was instantly reduced to bits of debris, and the line to a huge crater. 12 January 2022, Benedict le Vay, “The Heroes of Soham …”, in Rail, number 948, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 43
2. A long, narrow piece (especially of fabric) cut or torn off; a strip; specifically, a piece of cloth or clothing.
   1. (by extension) A thin strand or wisp, as of a cloud, mist, etc.
   2. (cooking) A thin strip of fruit peel, a vegetable, etc., cut so that it curls.
3. (archaic) A piece of gold or silver lace or thread.
4. (rare) A shard or sherd (“a piece of broken glass or pottery”).
5. (obsolete) A tailor.

Etymology 2

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.

verb

1. (transitive)
   1. To cut or tear (something) into long, narrow pieces or strips.
   2. (specifically)
      1. To destroy (a document) by cutting or tearing into strips or small pieces that cannot easily be read, especially using a shredder.
      2. (cooking) To cut (fruit peel, a vegetable, etc.) into thin strips that curl.
   3. To separate (something) into small portions.
   4. (figurative, chiefly slang)
      1. To reduce (something) by a large percentage; to slash.
         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. 21 November 2019, Samanth Subramanian, “How our home delivery habit reshaped the world”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-12-26
      2. (music) Chiefly in rock and heavy metal: to play (a musical instrument (especially a guitar) or a piece of music) very fast.
      3. (snowboarding, surfing) 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.
      4. (originally US) To convincingly defeat (someone); to thrash, to trounce.
   5. (archaic) To cut or sever (something) into two parts.
   6. (obsolete)
      1. To chop or cut (something) into pieces.
         Morality ſhreddeth ſinne as a garden knot; but Religion ſtubbeth it up by the roots. 1658, Samuel Crook [i.e., Samuel Crooke], “The Moral Hypocrite is He, in whom Reason Putteth Religion out of Office”, in C[hristopher] B[arker], W[illiam] G[arret], editors, ΤΑ ΔΙΑΦΕΡΟΝΤΑ [TA DIAPHERONTA], or Divine Characters in Tvvo Parts,[…], London: […] Adoniram Byfeild[…], →OCLC, 1st part, page 40
         How? speak more at length. Thou snippest off news as a housewife shreddeth leeks. 1851, Henry Hayman, “Carthage”, in Dialogues of the Early Church:[…], London: Skeffington and Southwell,[…], →OCLC, part IV (The Shore of the Harbour), page 117
      2. To cut, lop, or strip (branches, etc.) off; also, to cut (a piece) from something.
         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. 1590, Matth[ew] Sutcliffe, “Of the Contrarietie of Their Discipline”, in A Treatise of Ecclesiasticall Discipline:[…], London: […] George Bishop and Ralph Nevvberie, →OCLC, page 111
         [A]ll vſurie in it ovvne nature is biting, becauſe it biteth or ſhreddeth avvay ſome of the borrovvers ſubſtance. 1604, George Downame, “What Vsurie is”, in Lectures on the XV. Psalme:[…], London: […] Adam Islip for Cuthbert Burbie,[…], →OCLC, page 194
      3. To prune or trim (a tree, a vineyard, etc.).
2. (intransitive)
   1. To become separated into small portions.
   2. (bodybuilding) To reduce body weight due to fat and water before a competition.
   3. (snowboarding, surfing, etc.) To travel swiftly using a snowboard, surfboard, or vehicle.

adj

1. Synonym of shredded (“cut or torn into narrow strips or small pieces”)