fraction
- 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.
- to divide or break into fractions, sections, factions, etc.: Dissension threatens to fraction the powerful union.
Origin of fraction
Synonyms
See more synonyms for fraction on Thesaurus.comExamples from the Web for fraction
Contemporary Examples
It has a third of the budget and a fraction of the maritime vessels.
One can only hope that their life together is even a fraction as fabulous as their wedding.
He maintains that Israel, which made these a prime target, only managed to destroy a fraction of them during the war.
The decibel levels fell a fraction, but we were still in the heart of a crowd that believed in Brazil.
He was, he said, amazed that “a fraction of a gram of sugar had rendered [him] unconscious.”
Historical Examples
And her heart for the fraction of a second seemed to stand still too.
The Secret AgentJoseph Conrad
For a fraction of a second I had one glimpse of the animal through the brush.
The Long Labrador TrailDillon Wallace
The banded colors were there for a minute fraction of a second.
Is there not a certain glow of triumph in taming such a fraction?
A Tangled TaleLewis Carroll
For what we have received from our ancestors is only a fraction of what we are, or may become.
The RepublicPlato
fraction
- 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
- (tr) to divide
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for fraction
n.
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.
fraction
(frăk′shən)- 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.
fraction
- 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.
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.