I. -shən ə l, -shnəl adjective
1. : of or relating to a fraction : being or constituting a fraction ; especially : having to do with only a small portion of a possible whole, total, or entirety
showing only fractional allegiance to his country
2. : relatively small : inconsiderable , insignificant
waited only a fractional part of the time allowed
also : very short
spoke after a fractional pause
3. : of, relating to, or being fractional currency
a fractional coin
4. : of or relating to any process used to separate the components of a mixture through differences in physical or chemical properties (as volatility or solubility)
fractional distillation of petroleum
fractional crystallization of the rare earths
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: by shortening
: fractional time