fraction

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: frac=tion

CIDE DICTIONARY

fraction, n. [F. fraction, L. fractio a breaking, fr. frangere, fractum, to break. See Break.].

•  The act of breaking, or state of being broken, especially by violence.  [1913 Webster]

  "Neither can the natural body of Christ be subject to any fraction or breaking up."  [1913 Webster]
•  A portion; a fragment.  [1913 Webster]

  "Some niggard fractions of an hour."  [1913 Webster]
•  One or more aliquot parts of a unit or whole number; an expression for a definite portion of a unit or magnitude.  [1913 Webster]

Common fraction, or Vulgar fraction, a fraction in which the number of equal parts into which the integer is supposed to be divided is indicated by figures or letters, called the denominator, written below a line, over which is the numerator, indicating the number of these parts included in the fraction; as -- Complex fraction, a fraction having a fraction or mixed number in the numerator or denominator, or in both. Davies & Peck. -- Compound fraction, a fraction of a fraction; two or more fractions connected by of. -- Continued fraction, Decimal fraction, Partial fraction, etc. See under Continued, Decimal, Partial, etc. -- Improper fraction, a fraction in which the numerator is greater than the denominator. -- Proper fraction, a fraction in which the numerator is less than the denominator.

fraction, v. t. 

 To separate by means of, or to subject to, fractional distillation or crystallization; to fractionate; -- frequently used with out; as, to fraction out a certain grade of oil from pretroleum.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

fraction, n.
1 a numerical quantity that is not a whole number (e.g. 1/2, 0.5).
2 a small, esp. very small, part, piece, or amount.
3 a portion of a mixture separated by distillation etc.
4 Polit. any organized dissentient group, esp. a group of communists in a non-communist organization.
5 the division of the Eucharistic bread.

Derivative

fractionary adj. fractionize v.tr. (also -ise).

Etymology

ME f. OF f. LL fractio -onis f. L frangere fract- break

THESAURUS

fraction

Gaussian integer, adjunct, algebraic number, arithmetical proportion, cardinal, cardinal number, complex number, component, contingent, continued fraction, cross section, defective number, detachment, detail, division, dole, even number, finite number, geometric ratio, harmonic proportion, imaginary number, impair, improper fraction, infinity, installment, integer, irrational, irrational number, item, mixed number, ordinal, pair, parcel, part, particular, percent, percentage, polygonal number, portion, prime number, proportion, pure imaginary, quadrant, quarter, quota, quotum, random sample, rate, ratio, rational, rational number, real, real number, rectangular number, remainder, round number, rule of three, sample, sampling, section, sector, segment, serial number, share, subdivision, subgroup, subspecies, surd, transcendental number, transfinite number, whole number

ROGET THESAURUS

fraction

Smallness

N smallness, littleness, tenuity, paucity, fewness, meanness, insignificance (unimportance), mediocrity, moderation, small quantity, modicum, trace, hint, minimum, vanishing point, material point, atom, particle, molecule, corpuscle, point, speck, dot, mote, jot, iota, ace, minutiae, details, look, thought, idea, soupcon, dab, dight, whit, tittle, shade, shadow, spark, scintilla, gleam, touch, cast, grain, scruple, granule, globule, minim, sup, sip, sop, spice, drop, droplet, sprinkling, dash, morceau, screed, smack, tinge, tincture, inch, patch, scantling, tatter, cantlet, flitter, gobbet, mite, bit, morsel, crumb, seed, fritter, shive, snip, snippet, snick, snack, snatch, slip, scrag, chip, chipping, shiver, sliver, driblet, clipping, paring, shaving, hair, nutshell, thimbleful, spoonful, handful, capful, mouthful, fragment, fraction, drop in the ocean, animalcule, trifle, mere nothing, next to nothing, hardly anything, just enough to swear by, the shadow of a shade, finiteness, finite quantity, small, little, diminutive, minute, fine, inconsiderable, paltry, faint, slender, light, slight, scanty, scant, limited, meager, sparing, few, low, so-so, middling, tolerable, no great shakes, below par, under par, below the mark, at a low ebb, halfway, moderate, modest, tender, subtle, inappreciable, evanescent, infinitesimal, homeopathic, very small, atomic, corpuscular, microscopic, molecular, subatomic, mere, simple, sheer, stark, bare, near run, dull, petty, shallow, stolid, ungifted, unintelligent, to a small extent, on a small scale, a little bit, a wee bit, slightly, imperceptibly, miserably, wretchedly, insufficiently, imperfectly, faintly, passably, pretty well, well enough, partially, in part, in a certain degree, to a certain degree, to a certain extent, comparatively, some, rather in some degree, in some measure, something, somewhat, simply, only, purely, merely, at least, at the least, at most, at the most, ever so little, as little as may be, tant soit peu, in ever so small a degree, thus far, pro tanto, within bounds, in a manner, after a fashion, so to speak, almost, nearly, well-nigh, short of, not quite, all but, near upon, close upon, peu s'en faut, near the mark, within an ace of, within an inch of, on the brink of, scarcely, hardly, barely, only just, no more than, about, thereabouts, somewhere about, nearly, say, be the same, be little more or less, no ways, no way, no wise, not at all, not in the least, not a bit, not a bit of it, not a whit, not a jot, not a shadow, in no wise, in no respect, by no means, by no manner of means, on no account, at no hand, dare pondus idonea fumo, magno conatu magnas nugas, small sands the mountain, moments make the year.

Part

N part, portion, dose, item, particular, aught, any, division, ward, subdivision, section, chapter, clause, count, paragraph, verse, article, passage, sector, segment, fraction, fragment, cantle, frustum, detachment, parcel, piece, lump, bit cut, cutting, chip, chunk, collop, slice, scale, lamina, small part, morsel, particle, installment, dividend, share, debris, odds and ends, oddments, detritus, excerpta, member, limb, lobe, lobule, arm, wing, scion, branch, bough, joint, link, offshoot, ramification, twig, bush, spray, sprig, runner, leaf, leaflet, stump, component part, sarmentum, compartment, department, county, fractional, fragmentary, sectional, aliquot, divided, in compartments, multifid, disconnected, partial, partly, in part, partially, piecemeal, part by part, by by installments, by snatches, by inches, by driblets, bit by bit, inch by inch, foot by foot, drop by drop, in detail, in lots.

Number

N number, symbol, numeral, figure, cipher, digit, integer, counter, round number, formula, function, series, sum, difference, complement, subtrahend, product, multiplicand, multiplier, multiplicator, coefficient, multiple, dividend, divisor, factor, quotient, submultiple, fraction, rational number, surd, irrational number, transcendental number, mixed number, complex number, complex conjugate, numerator, denominator, decimal, circulating decimal, repetend, common measure, aliquot part, prime number, prime, relative prime, prime factor, prime pair, reciprocal, totient, binary number, octal number, hexadecimal number, permutation, combination, variation, election, ratio, proportion, comparison, progression, arithmetical progression, geometrical progression, harmonical progression, percentage, permilage, figurate numbers, pyramidal numbers, polygonal numbers, power, root, exponent, index, logarithm, antilogarithm, modulus, base, differential, integral, fluxion, fluent, numeral, complementary, divisible, aliquot, reciprocal, prime, relatively prime, fractional, decimal, figurate, incommensurable, proportional, exponential, logarithmic, logometric, differential, fluxional, integral, totitive, positive, negative, rational, irrational, surd, radical, real, complex, imaginary, finite, infinite, impossible, numerically, modulo.

Fraction

N fraction, fractional part, part, fractional, fragmentary, inconsiderable, negligible, infinitesimal.