astillado

Astillado is a Spanish adjective and past participle used to describe something that has splinters, chips, or cracks as a result of impact or wear. It commonly refers to materials such as wood, glass, or metal that have become fragmented or damaged, for example a madera astillada or vidrio astillado. The term arises from the verb astillar, meaning to cause to split into splinters, which in turn comes from the noun astilla, meaning a splinter or chip.

Beyond its literal sense, astillado can be used figuratively to indicate damage to non-material things, such as a reputation or a plan. For instance, “su reputación quedó astillada” signals that trust or standing has been damaged, while “un plan astillado” is a more informal way to describe a plan that is broken or compromised.

Related words and forms include astilla (splinter), astillar (to splinter or chip), and astilladura or astillamiento (the act or result of splintering). The term is widely understood in Spanish-speaking contexts and is common in everyday language, construction, manufacturing, and journalism when describing physical damage.

Examples:

- La madera del balcón quedó astillada tras la lluvia intensa.

- El vidrio astillado quedó en varios fragmentos.

- Tras la controversia, su imagen quedó astillada.