cross section

• POS: Noun Phrase
• HYPHEN: cross sec=tion

CIDE DICTIONARY

cross section, n. 

•  a flat plane cutting through a three-dimensional object, usually at right angles to the longest axis of the object.  [PJC]
•  any visual representation of a cross section{1}, showing the internal structure of the object in the plane of the cross section; as, the technician prepared a series of MRI cross sections of the skull.

  "Different cross sections created by different techniques may show different aspects of internal structure. Thus computerized axial tomography using X-rays shows different structures than are visualized by MRI."  [PJC]
•  a thin slice of an object made by cutting it transversely; as, to view a cross section of a bacterium with an electron microscope after staining the DNA; cross sections were prepared with a microtome.  [PJC]
•  a representative sample of a complex group; as, the town contained a cross section of the American population.  [PJC]
•  a measure of the probability that a nucleus will interact in a specified way with a bombarding particle, expressed as the effective area that the nucleus presents to the particle; -- called also nuclear cross section.  [PJC]

cross section, v. t. 

 to create one or a series of cross sections{3} by cutting (an object) into thin slices.  [PJC]

THESAURUS

cross section

adjunct, chiasma, component, contingent, crossing, cruciation, decussation, detachment, detail, division, dole, embodiment, example, exponent, fraction, installment, intercrossing, intersecting, intersection, item, parcel, part, particular, percentage, portion, quadrant, quarter, quota, random sample, remainder, representation, representative, sample, sampling, section, sector, segment, share, specimen, subdivision, subgroup, subspecies, transection, transversion, traversal, type, typification