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fraction

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fraction¹

  • /ˈfɹæk.ʃən/

Rhymes with -ækʃən

Where it comes from

From Middle English fraccioun (“a breaking”), from Anglo-Norman, Old French fraccion, from Medieval Latin fractio (“a fragment, portion”), from earlier Latin fractio (“a breaking, a breaking into pieces”), from fractus, past participle of frangere (“to break”) (whence English frangible), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (English break). Doublet of frazione.

noun fractions

  1. A part of a whole, especially a comparatively small part. With fresh material, taxonomic conclusions are leavened by recognition that the material examined reflects the site it occupied; a herbarium packet gives one only a small fraction of the data desirable for sound conclusions. Herbarium material does not, indeed, allow one to extrapolate safely: what
  2. A ratio of two numbers (numerator and denominator), usually written one above the other and separated by a horizontal bar called the vinculum or, alternatively, in sequence on the same line and separated by a solidus (diagonal bar). Gasoline prices show the mill as a fraction, for example $3.59+⁹⁄₁₀.
  3. A component of a mixture, separated by fractionation.
  4. In a eucharistic service, the breaking of the host. […] The bread, when it is consecrated and made sacramental, is the body of our Lord; and the fraction and distribution of it is the communication of that body, which died for us upon the cross.
  5. A small amount. I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town.
  6. archaic The act of breaking, or state of being broken, especially by violence. Neither can the natural body of Christ be subject to any fraction or breaking.

Similar: fraction

verb fractions · fractioning · fractioned

  1. transitive To divide or break into fractions.
  2. transitive To fractionate.

Fraction²

proper noun

  1. A surname.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: divide, segment, part, tranche, section, component, amount, quota, share, portion, proportion, split, group, moiety, subparagraph, proportions

noun

Similar: fraction

Translations

Every language

noun part of a whole

Españolfracción
日本語断片 danpen
中文部分 bùfen
हिन्दीअंश añś
Portuguêsfração, fracção
Françaisfraction
DeutschBruchteil
Italianofrazione
Românăfracție
Русскийчасть častʹ, части́ца častíca
Tiếng Việtphần, tỷ lệ
العربيةقِطْعَة qiṭʕa
עבריתחלק khélek

noun arithmetic: ratio

Españolfracción, quebrado
한국어분수 bunsu
日本語分数 bunsū
中文分數 /分数 fēnshù
हिन्दीभिन्न bhinn
Portuguêsfração, fracção
Françaisfraction
DeutschBruch
Italianofrazione
Ελληνικάκλάσμα klásma
Românăfracție
Русскийдробь drobʹ
Tiếng Việtphân số
العربيةكَسْر kasr, كُسُور kusūr
עבריתיחס yákhas, שבר shéver

noun chemistry: component separated by fractionation

Românăfracțiune
Русскийфра́кция frákcija
עבריתמִקְטָע mikta

noun eucharistic service: breaking of the host

DeutschBrotbrechen

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Cite this
MLA

"fraction." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/fraction. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

fraction. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/fraction

Chicago

"fraction." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/fraction.

BibTeX
@misc{fraction_2026,
  title = {fraction},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/fraction},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}