fraction

CEFRB1

/ˈfɹæk.ʃən/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A small part of something or a number less than one.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A component of a mixture, separated by fractionation.

Examples

  • He did it in only a fraction of a second.

  • Time is a certain fraction of eternity.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A ratio of two numbers (numerator and denominator), usually written one above the other and separated by a horizontal bar called the vinculum or, alternatively, in sequence on the same line and separated by a solidus (diagonal bar).

  2. A part of a whole, especially a comparatively small part.

  3. In a eucharistic service, the breaking of the host.

More examples

In context

  • Gasoline prices show the mill as a fraction, for example $3.59+⁹⁄₁₀.

  • […] The bread, when it is consecrated and made sacramental, is the body of our Lord; and the fraction and distribution of it is the communication of that body, which died for us upon the cross.

  • Neither can the natural body of Christ be subject to any fraction or breaking.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

She ate only a blank of the large pizza, leaving the rest for later.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English fraccioun (“a breaking”), from Anglo-Norman, Old French fraccion, from Medieval Latin fractio (“a fragment, portion”), from earlier Latin fractio (“a breaking, a breaking into pieces”), from fractus, past participle of frangere (“to break”) (whence English frangible), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (English break). Doublet of frazione.