fractional

[ frak-shuh-nl ]

adjective

1. pertaining to fractions; comprising a part or the parts of a unit; constituting a fraction:

   fractional numbers.

2. comparatively small; inconsiderable or insignificant:

   The profit on the deal was fractional.

3. Chemistry. of or noting a process, as distillation, crystallization, or oxidation, by which the component substances of a mixture are separated according to differences in certain of their properties, as boiling point, critical temperature, or solubility.

ˈfractional

/ ˈfrækʃənərI; ˈfrækʃənəl /

adjective

1. relating to, containing, or constituting one or more fractions
2. of or denoting a process in which components of a mixture are separated by exploiting differences in their physical properties, such as boiling points, solubility, etc

   fractional crystallization

   fractional distillation

3. very small or insignificant
4. broken up; fragmented

Derived Forms

• ˈfractionally, adverb

Other Words From

• fraction·al·ly adverb
• sub·fraction·al adjective
• sub·fraction·al·ly adverb
• sub·fraction·ary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fractional¹

First recorded in 1665–75; fraction + -al ¹

Example Sentences

With fractional investing, you can buy a share of an index fund for only $5.

From Salon

Donald Trump could win the election, and the United States government could buy up a bunch of bitcoins to pay its debts, and the price could go to the moon for at least a few minutes, and we could all pay for popcorn at the movies with fractional bitcoins.

From Slate

As delivery culture increasingly dominates retail of all sorts, people living at the city’s fractional addresses are left scrambling.

From Los Angeles Times

The team showed that these rocks are related to each other through a process known as fractional crystallization within the volcano in which they were formed.

From Science Daily

In collaboration with colleagues in Columbia's physics department, their graphene displayed striking evidence for the fractional quantum Hall effect under magnetic fields, a quantum phenomenon that had previously only been observed in ultrahigh-quality, two-dimensional electrical systems.

From Science Daily