- the act or process of cutting or separating by cutting; specif., an incision in surgery
- a part separated or removed by cutting; slice; division
- a very thin slice, as of tissue, used for microscopic study
- a part or division of a book, newspaper, etc.
- a numbered paragraph of a writing, a law, etc.
- any distinct, constituent part: a bookcase in five sections, various sections of society
- a segment of an orange, grapefruit, etc.
- see township (sense )
- a part of a city, country, etc.; district or region: a hilly section, the business section
- a division of public lands, equal to 640 acres or one square mile (2.59 square kilometers or 259.005 hectares)
- a loose subdivision of a biological genus, group, family, etc.
- a view or drawing of a thing as it would appear if cut straight through in a given plane
- any of the distinct groups of instruments or voices in an orchestra or chorus: the woodwind section
- any of several tactical subdivisions of military, air, or naval forces
- any of two or more buses, trains, or airplanes put into service for a particular route and schedule to accommodate extra passengers
- Educ. any of the classes into which the students taking a course with a large enrollment are divided: Prof. Brown's section of Freshman English
- Printing a mark (§) used to indicate a section in a book, etc., or as a reference markin full section mark
- Railroading
- part of a sleeping car containing an upper and lower berth
- a division of a railroad right of way, usually several miles of track under the care of a single maintenance crew
Origin of section
Classical Latin sectio from sectus, past participle of secare, to cut: see saw- to cut or divide into sections
- to represent in sections, as in mechanical drawing