A shard is NOT a chad. A chad is: chad chad (chad) noun The paper removed when a hole is punched in a card, in a tape, or at the perforated edge of continuous-form paper—the computer equivalent of a doughnut hole. A shard is: shard shard [shaard] (plural shards) or sherd [shurd] (plural sherds) noun 1. broken piece of glass: a sharp broken piece of glass or metal 2. ARCHAEOLOGY See potsherd 3. ZOOLOGY scale or shell: an animal’s scales, shell, or other tough outer covering 4. INSECTS beetle’s outer wing: the outer wing covering of a beetle [Old English sceard “cut, notch.” Ultimately from an Indo-European word meaning “to cut,” which is also the ancestor of English shear, scar, score, and short .] Dan Daniel Gensemer REINHOLD III Clinton Computer Consultants RR 4 Box 45 Mill Hall, PA 17751-9622 Voice phone (570) 748-3201 Internet [email protected] Founder of The Millbrook Playhouse. Go to: http://www.millbrookplayhouse.com/ Reinhold Genealogy Homepage - http://cub.kcnet.org/~dreinhol/index.html Genealogical Surname Searching: REINHOLD, Lancaster County. PA, 1752 - now also variants REINOEL, REINHOLT, REINHOLDT, REINWALD AMWEG, WENGER, WALTER, GENSEMER, Lancaster County, PA, 1700s MUSSER, GLISSEN, - SE PA. 1840 - now MACK, MOCK,- NE PA, 1880 - now Shake any family tree and a few nuts will fall.

Daniel Reinhold wrote: > > A shard is NOT a chad. A chad is: > chad > > chad (chad) noun > The paper removed when a hole is punched in a card, in a tape, or at the > perforated edge of continuous-form paper—the computer equivalent of a > doughnut hole. > Shake any family tree and a few nuts will fall. From among my brethren resting here under the old chestnut tree, permit me to say, "I cannot refute the rectitude of your retort." Merriam-Webster's 10th indicates that the word "chad" came into being in 1947 of uncertain origin. The only claim I have to thoughtfulness now is that, since "shard" predates that, the word was not "coined" but is a corruption of the spelling based on the accent of the New Englander or Alabaman who pronounced the word "shard" for his Michiganian secretary to spell. If the word was not in her vocabulary, what was she to do? But I am in my conjectural state again. Pay me no mind. Stan from Livonia, MI