[spl??n]
¦ noun
1. a rectangular key fitting into grooves in the hub and shaft of a wheel, especially one formed integrally with the shaft which allows movement of the wheel on the shaft.
a corresponding groove in a hub along which the key may slide.
2. a slat.
3. a flexible wood or rubber strip used especially in drawing large curves.
4. Mathematics a continuous curve constructed so as to pass through a given set of points.
¦ verb secure by means of a spline.
?fit with a spline.
Origin
C18 (orig. East Anglian dialect): perh. related to
splinter.