sec·tion / ˈsekshən/ • n. 1. any of the more or less distinct parts into which something is or may be divided or from which it is made up: arrange orange sections on a platter. ∎  a relatively distinct part of a book, newspaper, statute, or other document. ∎  a measure of land, equal to one square mile. ∎  a particular district of a town. 2. a distinct group within a larger body of people or things: the children's section of the library. ∎  a group of players of a family of instruments within an orchestra: the brass section. ∎  a small class of students who are part of a larger course but are taught separately: graduate students lead discussion sections for professors' lecture courses. ∎  [in names] a specified military unit: a camouflage section was added to the army. ∎  a subdivision of an army platoon. ∎  Biol. a secondary taxonomic category, esp. a subgenus. 3. the cutting of a solid by or along a plane. ∎  the shape resulting from cutting a solid along a plane. ∎  a representation of the internal structure of something as if it has been cut through vertically or horizontally. ∎  Surgery a separation by cutting. ∎  Biol. a thin slice of plant or animal tissue prepared for microscopic examination. • v. [tr.] divide into sections: she began to section the grapefruit. ∎  (section something off) separate an area from a larger one: parts of the curved balcony had been sectioned off with wrought-iron grilles. ∎  Biol. cut (animal or plant tissue) into thin slices for microscopic examination. ∎  Surgery divide by cutting: it is common veterinary practice to section the nerves to the hoof of a limping horse. DERIVATIVES: sec·tioned adj. [often in comb.] a square-sectioned iron peg.

section. Surface or portion obtained by a cut made through a structure or any part of a structure to reveal its profile, and/or interior. It may therefore show the outline of a moulding, and a drawing of an imaginary vertical cut through a building will show the elevations of the walls of internal rooms, the convention being that all beyond the plane made by the intersection of the section is depicted in elevation. A plan is therefore a section, the section-plane being horizontal, and shows the floors in elevation.

section (sek-shŏn)
1. n. (in surgery) the act of cutting (the cut or division made is also called a section).

2. n. (in imaging) a three-dimensional reconstruction of a body scan obtained by computerized tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.

3. n. (in microscopy) a thin slice of the specimen to be examined under a microscope.

4. vb. to issue an order for the compulsory admission of a patient to a psychiatric hospital for assessment and treatment under the appropriate section of the Mental Health Act 1983.

section cutting; subdivision of a written or printed work or document; part cut off XVI; drawing of an object as if cut through XVII. — F. section or L. sectiō, -ōn-, f. sect-, pp. stem of secāre cut, f. IE. *sek-.

section n.
1. a specified military unit: a camouflage section was added to the army.

2. a subdivision of an army platoon.

3. a measure of land, equal to one square mile.

4. a particular district of a town.

SECTION

The distinct and numbered subdivisions in legal codes, statutes, and textbooks. In the law of real property, a parcel of land equal in area to one square mile, or 640 acres.

Section

a separated portion of any collection or people, 1832; a fourth part of a military company, 1863.

section •ashen, fashion, passion, ration •abstraction, action, attraction, benefaction, compaction, contraction, counteraction, diffraction, enaction, exaction, extraction, faction, fraction, interaction, liquefaction, malefaction, petrifaction, proaction, protraction, putrefaction, redaction, retroaction, satisfaction, stupefaction, subtraction, traction, transaction, tumefaction, vitrifaction •expansion, mansion, scansion, stanchion •sanction •caption, contraption •harshen, Martian •cession, discretion, freshen, session •abjection, affection, circumspection, collection, complexion, confection, connection, convection, correction, defection, deflection, dejection, detection, direction, ejection, election, erection, genuflection, imperfection, infection, inflection, injection, inspection, insurrection, interconnection, interjection, intersection, introspection, lection, misdirection, objection, perfection, predilection, projection, protection, refection, reflection, rejection, resurrection, retrospection, section, selection, subjection, transection, vivisection •exemption, pre-emption, redemption •abstention, apprehension, ascension, attention, circumvention, comprehension, condescension, contention, contravention, convention, declension, detention, dimension, dissension, extension, gentian, hypertension, hypotension, intention, intervention, invention, mention, misapprehension, obtention, pension, prehension, prevention, recension, retention, subvention, supervention, suspension, tension •conception, contraception, deception, exception, inception, interception, misconception, perception, reception •Übermenschen • subsection •ablation, aeration, agnation, Alsatian, Amerasian, Asian, aviation, cetacean, citation, conation, creation, Croatian, crustacean, curation, Dalmatian, delation, dilation, donation, duration, elation, fixation, Galatian, gyration, Haitian, halation, Horatian, ideation, illation, lavation, legation, libation, location, lunation, mutation, natation, nation, negation, notation, nutation, oblation, oration, ovation, potation, relation, rogation, rotation, Sarmatian, sedation, Serbo-Croatian, station, taxation, Thracian, vacation, vexation, vocation, zonation •accretion, Capetian, completion, concretion, deletion, depletion, Diocletian, excretion, Grecian, Helvetian, repletion, Rhodesian, secretion, suppletion, Tahitian, venetian •academician, addition, aesthetician (US esthetician), ambition, audition, beautician, clinician, coition, cosmetician, diagnostician, dialectician, dietitian, Domitian, edition, electrician, emission, fission, fruition, Hermitian, ignition, linguistician, logician, magician, mathematician, Mauritian, mechanician, metaphysician, mission, monition, mortician, munition, musician, obstetrician, omission, optician, paediatrician (US pediatrician), patrician, petition, Phoenician, physician, politician, position, rhetorician, sedition, statistician, suspicion, tactician, technician, theoretician, Titian, tuition, volition •addiction, affliction, benediction, constriction, conviction, crucifixion, depiction, dereliction, diction, eviction, fiction, friction, infliction, interdiction, jurisdiction, malediction, restriction, transfixion, valediction •distinction, extinction, intinction •ascription, circumscription, conscription, decryption, description, Egyptian, encryption, inscription, misdescription, prescription, subscription, superscription, transcription •proscription •concoction, decoction •adoption, option •abortion, apportion, caution, contortion, distortion, extortion, portion, proportion, retortion, torsion •auction •absorption, sorption •commotion, devotion, emotion, groschen, Laotian, locomotion, lotion, motion, notion, Nova Scotian, ocean, potion, promotion •ablution, absolution, allocution, attribution, circumlocution, circumvolution, Confucian, constitution, contribution, convolution, counter-revolution, destitution, dilution, diminution, distribution, electrocution, elocution, evolution, execution, institution, interlocution, irresolution, Lilliputian, locution, perlocution, persecution, pollution, prosecution, prostitution, restitution, retribution, Rosicrucian, solution, substitution, volution •cushion • resumption • München •pincushion •Belorussian, Prussian, Russian •abduction, conduction, construction, deduction, destruction, eduction, effluxion, induction, instruction, introduction, misconstruction, obstruction, production, reduction, ruction, seduction, suction, underproduction •avulsion, compulsion, convulsion, emulsion, expulsion, impulsion, propulsion, repulsion, revulsion •assumption, consumption, gumption, presumption •luncheon, scuncheon, truncheon •compunction, conjunction, dysfunction, expunction, function, junction, malfunction, multifunction, unction •abruption, corruption, disruption, eruption, interruption •T-junction • liposuction •animadversion, aspersion, assertion, aversion, Cistercian, coercion, conversion, desertion, disconcertion, dispersion, diversion, emersion, excursion, exertion, extroversion, immersion, incursion, insertion, interspersion, introversion, Persian, perversion, submersion, subversion, tertian, version •excerption