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