/ ˈfrækʃn; NAmE / noun
1.
a small part or amount of sth :
Only a small fraction of a bank's total deposits will be withdrawn at any one time.
She hesitated for the merest fraction of a second.
HELP NOTE : If fraction is used with a plural noun, the verb is usually plural:
Only a fraction of cars in the UK use leaded petrol.
If it is used with a singular noun that represents a group of people, the verb can be singular or plural in BrE , but is usually singular in NAmE :
A tiny fraction of the population never vote / votes .
2.
a division of a number, for example ⅝
SYN rational number
—see also vulgar fraction
—compare integer
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : via Old French from ecclesiastical Latin fractio(n-) breaking (bread), from Latin frangere to break.