nounpl: shards (already plural; singular: shard)
cacos, fragmentos, estilhaços
1. sharp, thin pieces of glass, pottery, or other brittle material broken from a larger object
The broken vase lay scattered in shards across the floor.
O vaso quebrado ficou espalhado em cacos pelo chão.
2. small broken pieces or fragments of something, often used metaphorically
The relationship fell apart, leaving only shards of what once was.
O relacionamento desabou, deixando apenas fragmentos do que era antes.
3. in computing, a partition or segment of a distributed database
The database is divided into multiple shards for better performance.
O banco de dados é dividido em múltiplos fragmentos para melhor desempenho.
In Brazilian and Portuguese usage, 'cacos' is the everyday term for broken glass or pottery pieces, often used when discussing household accidents. In computing contexts (common in both English and Portuguese tech communities), 'shards' is used as-is or translated as 'fragmentos' in technical documentation. The word carries a sense of irreversible damage and is frequently used metaphorically in both cultures to describe emotional or relational breakdown.
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