spall

/spɔl/
noun
  1. A small piece or chip of stone, rock, or concrete that has broken off from a larger mass.
    • The demolition crew swept up the spalls of concrete after breaking the wall.
    • A sharp spall of flint flew off when he struck the rock with a hammer.
    • The geologist examined a spall of granite under a magnifying glass.
verb
  1. To break off or cause to break off in small chips or fragments, especially from stone, rock, or concrete.
    • He used a chisel to spall away the damaged part of the brick.
    • The mason carefully spalled the rough edges of the stone block.
    • Over time, the freeze-thaw cycle can spall the surface of concrete steps.
Synonyms
What does "spall" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean