/ ˈsekʃn; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
PART / PIECE
1.
[ C ] any of the parts into which sth is divided :
That section of the road is still closed.
The library has a large biology section.
the tail section of the plane
2.
[ C ] a separate part of a structure from which the whole can be put together :
The shed comes in sections that you assemble yourself.
OF DOCUMENT / BOOK
3.
[ C ] a separate part of a document, book, etc. :
These issues will be discussed more fully in the next section.
the sports section of the newspaper
GROUP OF PEOPLE
4.
[ C ] a separate group within a larger group of people :
an issue that will affect large sections of the population
the brass section of an orchestra
—see also rhythm section
OF ORGANIZATION
5.
[ C ] a department in an organization, institution, etc.
SYN division :
He's the director of the finance section.
DISTRICT
6.
[ C ] ( NAmE ) a district of a town, city or county :
the Dorchester section of Boston
MEASUREMENT
7.
[ C ] ( NAmE ) a measure of land, equal to one square mile
DIAGRAM
8.
[ C ] a drawing or diagram of sth as it would look if it were cut from top to bottom or from one side to the other :
The illustration shows a section through a leaf.
The architect drew the house in section .
—see also cross section
MEDICAL
9.
[ C , U ] ( medical ) the act of cutting or separating sth in an operation :
The surgeon performed a section (= made a cut) on the vein.
—see also Caesarean
10.
[ C ] ( medical , biology ) a very thin flat piece cut from body tissue to be looked at under a microscope :
to examine a section from the kidney
■ verb
[ vn ]
MEDICAL / BIOLOGY
1.
( medical ) to divide body tissue by cutting
2.
( biology ) to cut animal or plant tissue into thin slices in order to look at it under a microscope
MENTAL PATIENT
3.
[ often passive ] ( BrE ) to officially order a mentally ill person to go and receive treatment in a psychiatric hospital, using a law that can force them to stay there until they are successfully treated
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- section sth off
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (as a noun): from French section or Latin sectio(n-) , from secare to cut. The verb dates from the early 19th cent.