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Etymology
Uncertain; the following possibilities have been suggested, though the etymons are all first attested later than the English word:[1]
From Irish smidiríní, smiodairíní (“smithereens”), from smiodar (“broken piece, fragment”) + -ín (suffix forming diminutive nouns) + -í (slender form of -aí (suffix forming plurals of some nouns)).
From smithers (“fragment; atom”) infixed with -een (suffix forming diminutive nouns in Hiberno-English).
From Hiberno-English (Wexford) smaddereen, a variant of smattering (“small amount or number of something; shallow or superficial knowledge of a subject”).
From Hiberno-English (Wexford) smithered, smashed
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