section

sec·tion

Use section in a sentence

This piece is a section of the pie.

noun

The definition of a section is a piece of something.
An example of a section is a piece of pie.

verb

To section is defined as to divide something up into parts.
An example of to section is to divide a playing field up into different obstacle courses.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"section." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 12 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Section>.

APA Style

section. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Section

section

the act or process of cutting or separating by cutting; specif., an incision in surgery
1. a part separated or removed by cutting; slice; division
2. a very thin slice, as of tissue, used for microscopic study
1. a part or division of a book, newspaper, etc.
2. 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 )
1. a part of a city, country, etc.; district or region: a hilly section, the business section
2. 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 mark
in full section mark
Railroading
1. part of a sleeping car containing an upper and lower berth
2. 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

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"section." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 12 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Section>.

APA Style

section. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Section

section

noun

One of several components; a piece.
A subdivision of a written work.
Law A distinct portion or provision of a legal code or set of laws, often establishing a particular legal requirement: section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
A distinct portion of a newspaper: the sports section.
A distinct area of a town, county, or country: a residential section.
A land unit equal to one square mile (2.59 square kilometers), 640 acres, or ¹₃₆ of a township.
The act or process of separating or cutting, especially the surgical cutting or dividing of tissue.
A thin slice, as of tissue, suitable for microscopic examination.
A segment of a fruit, especially a citrus fruit.
Representation of a solid object as it would appear if cut by an intersecting plane, so that the internal structure is displayed.
Music A group of instruments or voices in the same class considered as a division of a band, orchestra, or choir: the rhythm section; the woodwind section.
A class or discussion group of students taking the same course: She taught three sections of English composition.
a. A portion of railroad track maintained by a single crew.
b. An area in a train's sleeping car containing an upper and lower berth.
An army tactical unit smaller than a platoon and larger than a squad.
A unit of vessels or aircraft within a division of armed forces.
One of two or more vehicles, such as a bus or train, given the same route and schedule, often used to carry extra passengers.
a. The character (§) used in printing to mark the beginning of a section.
b. This character used as the fourth in a series of reference marks for footnotes.
Informal A cesarean section.

transitive verb

sec·tioned, sec·tion·ing, sec·tions

To separate or divide into parts.
To cut or divide (tissue) surgically.
To shade or crosshatch (part of a drawing) to indicate sections.
Informal To perform a cesarean section on.

Origin of section

Middle English seccioun from Old French from Latin sectiō sectiōn- from sectus past participle of secāre to cut ; see sek- in Indo-European roots.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"section." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 12 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Section>.

APA Style

section. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Section

Noun

(plural sections)

A cutting; a part cut out from the rest of something.
A part, piece, subdivision of anything.
A part of a document.
An act or instance of cutting.
A cross-section (image that shows an object as if cut along a plane).
1. (aviation) A cross-section perpendicular the longitudinal axis of an aircraft in flight.
(surgery) An incision or the act of making an incision.
(sciences) A thin slice of material prepared as a specimen for research.
(military) A group of 10-15 soldiers lead by a non-commissioned officer and forming part of a platoon.
(category theory) A right inverse.
(New Zealand) A piece of residential land usually a quarter of an acre, a plot.
(Canada) A one-mile square area of land, defined by a government survey.

Related terms

Verb

(third-person singular simple present sections, present participle sectioning, simple past and past participle sectioned)

To cut, divide or separate into pieces.
(UK) To commit (a person, to a hospital, with or without their consent), as for mental health reasons. So called after various sections of legal acts regarding mental health.

Anagrams

Origin

From Old French, from Latin sectio (“cutting, cutting off, excision, amputation of diseased parts of the body, etc."), from sectus, past participle of secare (“to cut").

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"section." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 12 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Section>.

APA Style

section. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Section

section - Legal Definition

n

A definable portion of a town, county, or other geographic region; a land unit equal to one square mile.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"section." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 12 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Section>.

APA Style

section. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Section

section - Medical Definition

n.

A cut or division.
The act or process of separating or cutting, especially the surgical cutting or dividing of tissue.
A thin slice, as of tissue, suitable for microscopic examination.
A cesarean section.

v.