a part that is cut off or separated.
an act or instance of cutting; separation by cutting.
the making of an incision.
an incision.
a small unit consisting of two or more squads.
a small tactical division in naval and air units.
Bookbinding. signature ( def 8 ).
Theater. one of a series of circuits for controlling certain lights, as footlights.
shape ( def 12 ).
verb (used with object)
to cut or divide into sections.
to cut through so as to present a section.
Surgery. to make an incision.

1550–60; < Latin sectiōn- (stem of sectiō) a cutting, equivalent to sect(us) (past participle of secāre to cut; see saw1) + -iōn- -ion

half-section, noun
multisection, adjective
unsectioned, adjective

1. See part. 8. specimen, sample, cutting. Unabridged
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World English Dictionary
section (ˈsɛkʃən)
1.  a part cut off or separated from the main body of something
2.  a part or subdivision of a piece of writing, book, etc: the sports section of the newspaper
3.  one of several component parts
4.  a distinct part or subdivision of a country, community, etc
5.  (US), (Canadian) an area one mile square (640 acres) in a public survey, esp in the western parts of the US and Canada
6.  (NZ) a plot of land for building on, esp in a suburban area
7.  the section of a railway track that is maintained by a single crew or is controlled by a particular signal box
8.  the act or process of cutting or separating by cutting
9.  a representation of a portion of a building or object exposed when cut by an imaginary vertical plane so as to show its construction and interior
10.  geometry
 a.  a plane surface formed by cutting through a solid
 b.  Compare cross section the shape or area of such a plane surface
11.  surgery any procedure involving the cutting or division of an organ, structure, or part, such as a Caesarian section
12.  a thin slice of biological tissue, mineral, etc, prepared for examination by a microscope
13.  a segment of an orange or other citrus fruit
14.  a small military formation, typically comprising two or more squads or aircraft
15.  (Austral), (NZ) a fare stage on a bus, tram, etc
16.  music
 a.  an extended division of a composition or movement that forms a coherent part of the structure: the development section
 b.  a division in an orchestra, band, etc, containing instruments belonging to the same class: the brass section
17.  signature, gathering, gather, Also called: quire a folded printing sheet or sheets ready for gathering and binding
18.  to cut or divide into sections
19.  to cut through so as to reveal a section
20.  (in drawing, esp mechanical drawing) to shade so as to indicate sections
21.  surgery to cut or divide (an organ, structure, or part)
22.  (Brit) social welfare to have (a mentally disturbed person) confined in a mental hospital under an appropriate section of the mental health legislation
[C16: from Latin sectiō, from secāre to cut]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Word Origin & History

1559, from M.Fr. section, from L. sectionem (nom. sectio) "a cutting, cutting off, division," from sectus, pp. of secare "to cut," from PIE base *sek- "cut" (cf. O.C.S. seko, sesti "to cut," secivo "ax, hatchet;" Lith. isekti "to engrave, carve;" Alb. sate "mattock;" O.S. segasna, O.E. sigðe "scythe;"
O.E. secg "sword," seax "knife, short sword;" O.Ir. doescim "I cut;" L. saxum "rock, stone"). Sectional "piece of furniture composed of sections which can be used separately" is recorded from 1961.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

section sec·tion (sěk'shən)

  1. A cut or division.

  2. The act or process of separating or cutting, especially the surgical cutting or dividing of tissue.

  3. A thin slice, as of tissue, suitable for microscopic examination.

v. sec·tioned, sec·tion·ing, sec·tions
  1. To separate or divide into parts.

  2. To cut or divide tissue surgically.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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Example sentences
  laying claim to its parcel of disk.
  expanded to a whole section.
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Check out your supermarket's freezer section and stock up on building blocks
  for a meal.
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