I. ˈsegmənt noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Latin segmentum, from secare to cut + -mentum -ment — more at saw
1.
a. : a piece or separate fragment of something : portion
chopped off the segment of the line closest to the open hatch — Wirt Williams
surgeon must remove the affected segment of the bowel — Greer Williams
ores of commercial value … are found in segments of varying length — American Guide Series: Nevada
b.
(1) : a portion cut off from a geometrical figure by a line or plane ; especially : the part of a circular area bounded by a chord and an arc of that circle or so much of the area as is cut off by the chord
(2) : the part of a sphere cut off by a plane or included between two parallel planes
(3) : the finite part of a line between two points in the line
c. : a portion of an act of speech ; especially : a minimal portion consisting of an item of spoken language that is known as a vowel or a consonant — compare suprasegmental
2.
a. : one of the constituent parts into which a body, entity, or quantity is or may be divided : section , division
the canning of juices and segments — Newsweek
calyx of five segments, very deeply cleft — F.E.Hulme
the concept of fairness toward every segment of the economy — Nation's Business
the natural gas industry is split into three major segments: producers, pipeliners, and distributors — Walter Goodman
the segments of a tribe have the same characteristics as a tribe — Audrey Butt
b. : loop 4a
3.
a. : a piece or casting (as of a sectional flywheel) in the form of the segment or sometimes the sector of a circle or part of a ring
b. : segment gear
c. : a segmental arch
Synonyms: see part
II. ˈsegˌment transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. : to cause to undergo segmentation by division or multiplication of cells
the new cells which are successively segmented off from the terminal cell — T.H.Huxley & H.N.Martin
2. : to separate into segments
the first criteria are linguistic and are used to segment the poem into manageable units — W.E.Bull
provides a thoroughness and consistency of instruction lacking in a segmented course of study — J.R.Butler
the clams are segmented into lineages — Audrey Butt
the strategy of the police … was to keep the demonstration segmented and disorganized — New York Times