SECTION


Meaning of SECTION in English

I. ˈsekshən noun

( -s )

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: Latin section-, sectio, from sectus (past participle of secare to cut) + -ion-, -io -ion — more at saw

1.

a. : the action of cutting or separating by cutting ; especially : the action of dividing (as tissues) surgically

nerve section

abdominal section

cesarean section

b. : an instance of such cutting

2. : a distinct part or portion of a writing: as

a. : a subdivision of a chapter (as a paragraph or a series of paragraphs not separated by a heading)

b. : a division of a law, statute, or legislative act

c. : a distinct component part of a newspaper

the sports section

3.

a. : the description or representation of something (as a building, piece of machinery, segment of the earth's crust) as it would appear if cut through by an intersecting plane : depiction of what is beyond a plane passing or supposed to pass through an object : profile

b. : a diagram showing rock units and structures along a usually vertical plane below the surface

4.

a. : a natural subdivision of a taxonomic group and especially of a genus but sometimes of a higher group

b. : a tribal segment or a group of segments usually based on descent, function, or territorial occupancy

5. : the plane figure resulting from the cutting of a solid by a plane

6. : the character § commonly used in printing to mark a section or the beginning of a section (as of a statute) and as the fourth in series of the reference marks

7. : a piece of land one square mile or 640 acres in area forming one of the 36 subdivisions of a township in a United States public-land survey

8.

a. : a distinct part of a territorial area (as a country or continent) set apart by geographic, economic, cultural, or other distinctive characteristics

the West, the South, and other sections of the U.S.

the only important grape-growing section of Pennsylvania — American Guide Series: Pennsylvania

b. : a usually distinctive quarter or district (as of a city or town)

the business section of the city

9.

a. : a part that is, may be, or is held to be separated : division , portion , slice

the southern section of the route

chop the stalks into sections — American Guide Series: Louisiana

an important section of the milling industry — American Guide Series: Minnesota

a section of the task

b. : one segment of a fruit (as an orange or grapefruit) : carpel

c. : one of the parts into which the warp threads are divided during weaving preparation (as warping, beaming, and slashing)

10.

a. : a portion of a group of people having or held to have a distinct and separate status usually by virtue of one or more distinctive characteristics

a cheering section

royally entertained by all sections of the local community — Guthrie Moir

the strongest section of the European population — Patrick Smith

b. : one of the classes formed by dividing a group of students taking a particular course

ten sections of English I

c. : one of the groups into which a conference of teachers, scholars, or specialists in a given field is divided for discussion purposes

11.

a. : a military unit composed of two or more squads

b. : a military unit constituting the basic unit of a larger unit

12.

a. : a very thin slice (as of tissue or rock) suitable for microscopic examination

b. : an exposed surface revealing successive geological strata

13.

a. : a division of a railroad sleeping car including both an upper and a lower berth or when these are not made up two double seats facing each other

b. : a portion of a permanent railroad way under the care of a particular set of men

c. : one of two or more trains, planes, buses, or similar vehicles which run on the same schedule and for which special signals are usually shown

14. : one of several component parts that may be assembled or reassembled

a cutter bar with 15 sections

a bookcase in sections

15. : one of the frames each made about four inches square, designed to hold about a pound when full, and placed in the super of a hive for bees to store surplus honey in

16. : a profile on a plane perpendicular to the plane of the principal line or trace in fortification

17. : a division of an orchestra composed of one class of instruments

brass section

string section

18. : signature 5b

19. : a subdivision of an office, staff, department, bureau, or other organization

the political section of an embassy

a Communist party section

the United States section of the British Foreign Office

20. : the sequence of rock units in a given locality or region

Synonyms: see part

- in section

II. verb

( sectioned ; sectioned ; sectioning -sh(ə)niŋ ; sections )

transitive verb

1.

a. : to cut or separate into sections : make a section of

section a history class by ability ratings

section a rock for examination

b.

(1) : to divide (a body part or organ) surgically

section a nerve

(2) : to cut (fixed tissue) into thin slices for microscopic examination

2. : to shade (as a part of a mechanical drawing) with crosshatching to indicate a section : to represent in sections

intransitive verb

: to form sections : become cut or separated into parts

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.