section

[ sek-shuhn ]

noun

1. a part that is cut off or separated.
2. a distinct part or subdivision of anything, as an object, country, community, class, or the like: the left section of a drawer.

   the members' section of a golf course;

   the left section of a drawer.

3. a distinct part or subdivision of a writing, as of a newspaper, legal code, chapter, etc.: section 2 of the bylaws.

   the financial section of a daily paper;

   section 2 of the bylaws.

4. one of a number of parts that can be fitted together to make a whole:

   sections of a fishing rod.

5. (in most of the United States west of Ohio) one of the 36 numbered subdivisions, each one square mile (2.59 sq. km or 640 acres), of a township.
6. an act or instance of cutting; separation by cutting.
7. Surgery.
   1. the making of an incision.
   2. an incision.
8. a thin slice of a tissue, mineral, or the like, as for microscopic examination.

   Synonyms: specimen, slice, segment, part

9. a representation of an object as it would appear if cut by a plane, showing its internal structure.
10. Military.
    1. a small unit consisting of two or more squads.
    2. Also called staff section. any of the subdivisions of a staff.
    3. a small tactical division in naval and air units.
11. Railroads.
    1. a division of a sleeping car containing both an upper and a lower berth.
    2. a length of trackage, roadbed, signal equipment, etc., maintained by one crew.
12. any of two or more trains, buses, or the like, running on the same route and schedule at the same time, one right behind the other, and considered as one unit, as when a second is necessary to accommodate more passengers than the first can carry:

    On holidays the New York to Boston train runs in three sections.

13. a segment of a naturally segmented fruit, as of an orange or grapefruit.
14. a division of an orchestra or band containing all the instruments of one class: the string section.

    a rhythm section;

    the string section.

15. Bookbinding. signature ( def 8 ).
16. Also called section mark. a mark used to indicate a subdivision of a book, chapter, or the like, or as a mark of reference to a footnote.
17. Theater. one of a series of circuits for controlling certain lights, as footlights.
18. shape ( def 12 ).

verb (used with object)

1. to cut or divide into sections.
2. to cut through so as to present a section.
3. Surgery. to make an incision.

section

/ ˈsɛkʃən /

noun

1. a part cut off or separated from the main body of something
2. a part or subdivision of a piece of writing, book, etc

   the sports section of the newspaper

3. one of several component parts
4. a distinct part or subdivision of a country, community, etc
5. an area one mile square (640 acres) in a public survey, esp in the western parts of the US and Canada
6. a plot of land for building on, esp in a suburban area
7. the section of a railway track that is maintained by a single crew or is controlled by a particular signal box
8. the act or process of cutting or separating by cutting
9. a representation of a portion of a building or object exposed when cut by an imaginary vertical plane so as to show its construction and interior
10. geometry
    1. a plane surface formed by cutting through a solid
    2. the shape or area of such a plane surface Compare cross section
11. surgery any procedure involving the cutting or division of an organ, structure, or part, such as a Caesarian section
12. a thin slice of biological tissue, mineral, etc, prepared for examination by a microscope
13. a segment of an orange or other citrus fruit
14. a small military formation, typically comprising two or more squads or aircraft
15. a fare stage on a bus, tram, etc
16. music
    1. an extended division of a composition or movement that forms a coherent part of the structure

       the development section

    2. a division in an orchestra, band, etc, containing instruments belonging to the same class

       the brass section

17. Also calledsignaturegatheringgatherquire a folded printing sheet or sheets ready for gathering and binding

verb

1. to cut or divide into sections
2. to cut through so as to reveal a section
3. (in drawing, esp mechanical drawing) to shade so as to indicate sections
4. surgery to cut or divide (an organ, structure, or part)
5. social welfare to have (a mentally disturbed person) confined in a mental hospital under an appropriate section of the mental health legislation

Other Words From

• half-section noun
• multi·section adjective
• un·sectioned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of section¹

First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin sectiōn- (stem of sectiō ) “a cutting,” equivalent to sect(us) (past participle of secāre “to cut”; saw ¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of section¹

C16: from Latin sectiō, from secāre to cut

Synonym Study

See part.

Example Sentences

Thus, transcription-factor proteins can bind to several different sections of the gene and begin making mRNA, each copy different from ones started at other sites.

From Science Daily

"By amplifying the fusion cross section, more power can be produced from the same amount of fuel," said Parisi.

From Science Daily

"The Y chromosome has many sections that repeat, and even some that are palindromes -- the same forwards and backwards. It makes it challenging to understand which genes are encoded there," Cothran explained.

From Science Daily

Johnson died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after a caesarean section eight years ago, spurring a public uproar and lawsuits by her husband against Cedars-Sinai and several physicians, which were ultimately settled.

From Los Angeles Times

The section directly targets the 1619 Project by the New York Times, which ties the founding of the United States to its history of slavery and racism.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• area
• branch
• category
• chunk
• department
• district
• field
• part
• passage
• piece
• region
• sector
• segment
• zone