fraction

[frak-shuh n]

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noun

Mathematics.

a number usually expressed in the form a/b.
a ratio of algebraic quantities similarly expressed.

Chemistry. (in a volatile mixture) a component whose range of boiling point temperatures allows it to be separated from other components by fractionation.

a part as distinct from the whole of anything; portion or section: The meeting started with a fraction of us present.

a very small part or segment of anything; minute portion: Only a fraction of the work was completed on time.

a very small amount; a little bit: It was only a fraction away from completion.

a piece broken off; fragment or bit.

the act of breaking.

Ecclesiastical. (in a Eucharistic service) the breaking of the Host.

verb (used with or without object)

to divide or break into fractions, sections, factions, etc.: Dissension threatens to fraction the powerful union.

Nearby words

Origin of fraction

1350–1400; Middle English fraccioun < Late Latin frāctiōn- (stem of frāctiō) a breaking (in pieces), equivalent to Latin frāct(us) (past participle of frangere to break) + -iōn- -ion

SYNONYMS FOR fraction

3, 6. See part.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fraction ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formssub·frac·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fraction

It has a third of the budget and a fraction of the maritime vessels.
Britain’s Let-Em-All-Die Policy|Nico Hines, Barbie Latza Nadeau|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One can only hope that their life together is even a fraction as fabulous as their wedding.
An Affair to Remember for George and Amal|Barbie Latza Nadeau|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He maintains that Israel, which made these a prime target, only managed to destroy a fraction of them during the war.
Did Israel Execute Jihadists in Gaza?|Jesse Rosenfeld|September 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The decibel levels fell a fraction, but we were still in the heart of a crowd that believed in Brazil.
Germany Humiliates World Cup Host Brazil 7-1 in Semifinal Slaughter|Tunku Varadarajan|July 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He was, he said, amazed that “a fraction of a gram of sugar had rendered [him] unconscious.”
The Week in Death: Alexander Shulgrin, Who Synthesized the Drug Ecstasy|The Telegraph|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The smaller the fraction which rushes, the greater the number of rifles which continue to fire upon the enemy.
Infantry Drill Regulations, United States Army, 1911|United States War Department
Arline's blue eyes rested on the intruder for the fraction of a second.
Grace Harlowe's Third Year at Overton College|Jessie Graham Flower
Thus he knew to a fraction just what resources Wagner had left when the critical stage was reached for the final spurt.
Fred Fenton on the Track|Allen Chapman
Death had missed him by the fraction of an inch, by a split second.
The Radio Detectives Under the Sea|A. Hyatt Verrill
With only a fraction of your chance at inside information, I've stayed on the up-hill side, straight through, myself.
The City of Numbered Days|Francis Lynde

British Dictionary definitions for fraction

fraction

noun

maths

a ratio of two expressions or numbers other than zero
any rational number that is not an integer

any part or subdivisiona substantial fraction of the nation

a small piece; fragment

chem a component of a mixture separated by a fractional process, such as fractional distillation

Christianity the formal breaking of the bread in Communion

the act of breaking

verb

(tr) to divide

Word Origin for fraction

C14: from Late Latin fractiō a breaking into pieces, from Latin fractus broken, from frangere to break

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for fraction

fraction

late 14c., originally in the mathematical sense, from Anglo-French fraccioun (Old French fraccion, 12c., "breaking") and directly from Late Latin fractionem (nominative fractio) "a breaking," especially into pieces, noun of action from past participle stem of Latin frangere "to break," from PIE root *bhreg- "to break" (cf. Sanskrit (giri)-bhraj "breaking-forth (out of the mountains);" Gothic brikan, Old English brecan "to break;" Lithuanian brasketi "crash, crack;" Old Irish braigim "break" wind). Meaning "a breaking or dividing" is from early 15c.; sense of "broken off piece, fragment," is from c.1600.

Medicine definitions for fraction

fraction

[frăk′shən]

n.

An expression that indicates the quotient of two quantities.

A chemical component separated by fractionation.

A disconnected piece; a fragment.

An aliquot portion or any portion.

Science definitions for fraction

fraction

[frăk′shən]

A number that compares part of an object or a set with the whole, especially the quotient of two whole numbers written in the form ab. The fraction 12, which means 1 divided by 2, can represent such things as 10 pencils out of a box of 20, or 50 cents out of a dollar. See also decimal fraction improper fraction proper fraction.

A chemical component separated by fractionation.

Culture definitions for fraction

fraction

A mathematical expression representing the division of one whole number by another. Usually written as two numbers separated by a horizontal or diagonal line, fractions are also used to indicate a part of a whole number or a ratio between two numbers. Fractions may have a value of less than one, as with 1/2, or equal to one, as with 2/2, or more than one, as with 3/2. The top number of a fraction is the numerator and the bottom number is the denominator.

fraction

noun

verb (used with or without object)

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Origin of fraction

Examples from the Web for fraction

fraction

noun

verb

Word Origin for fraction

fraction

fraction

n.

fraction

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