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fraction

[ frak-shuhn ]
/ ˈfræk ʃən /
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See synonyms for: fraction / fractions on Thesaurus.com

noun
verb (used with or without object)
to divide or break into fractions, sections, factions, etc.: Dissension threatens to fraction the powerful union.
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Origin of fraction

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

synonym study for fraction

3, 6. See part.

OTHER WORDS FROM fraction

sub·frac·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fraction in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fraction

fraction
/ (ˈfrækʃən) /

noun
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

Scientific definitions for fraction

fraction
[ frăkshən ]

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural 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.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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