incomplete fracture
1
6.1
- noun
- /ˌɪnkəmˈpliːt ˈfræktʃər/
- Specialized
- A greenstick fracture is an example of an incomplete fracture where the bone is only partially broken.
Examples
-
The doctor explained that the child's incomplete fracture would heal quickly since it did not break all the way through.
-
After falling from the swing, the boy was diagnosed with an incomplete fracture that required only a splint for support.
-
Because the bones of young children are less brittle, relatively minor traumas such as jumping or twisting can result in incomplete fractures.
Academic text (2015)
Synonyms
11
5.1
A very thin crack in a bone that does not split it
1
4.8
A bend and crack in a child's bone that does not break all the way through
A tiny crack in a bone that does not separate the pieces
Antonyms
- Specialized
1
4.9
A break in a bone that goes all the way through and separates it into two or more pieces
How Severe
- Specialized
8
6.0
- Specialized
1
8.1
- Specialized
1
4.9
- Specialized
1
6.1
11
5.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from 'incomplete' (not whole/partial) + 'fracture' (a break/crack), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a partial/partial-width break in a bone. It is a compositional medical term with cross-linguistically similar logic, so the sense is transparent rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
Incomplete fracture shows a simple image: a fracture is a crack and incomplete means 'not all the way through', like a green twig that splits but stays partly joined. That's why an incomplete fracture means the bone is cracked but not completely broken into two pieces.