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section

 - 14 dictionary results

sec⋅tion

  [sek-shuhn]
Use section in a Sentence
–noun
1. a part that is cut off or separated.
2. a distinct part or subdivision of anything, as an object, country, community, class, or the like: the poor section of town; the left section of a drawer.
3. a distinct part or subdivision of a writing, as of a newspaper, legal code, chapter, etc.: the financial section of a daily paper; section 2 of the bylaws.
4. one of a number of parts that can be fitted together to make a whole: sections of a fishing rod.
5. (in most of the U.S. west of Ohio) one of the 36 numbered subdivisions, each one square mile (2.59 sq. km or 640 acres), of a township.
6. an act or instance of cutting; separation by cutting.
7. Surgery.
a. the making of an incision.
b. an incision.
8. a thin slice of a tissue, mineral, or the like, as for microscopic examination.
9. a representation of an object as it would appear if cut by a plane, showing its internal structure.
10. Military.
a. a small unit consisting of two or more squads.
b. Also called staff section. any of the subdivisions of a staff.
c. a small tactical division in naval and air units.
11. Railroads.
a. a division of a sleeping car containing both an upper and a lower berth.
b. a length of trackage, roadbed, signal equipment, etc., maintained by one crew.
12. any of two or more trains, buses, or the like, running on the same route and schedule at the same time, one right behind the other, and considered as one unit, as when a second is necessary to accommodate more passengers than the first can carry: On holidays the New York to Boston train runs in three sections.
13. a segment of a naturally segmented fruit, as of an orange or grapefruit.
14. a division of an orchestra or band containing all the instruments of one class: a rhythm section.
15. Bookbinding. signature (def. 8).
16. Also called section mark. a mark used to indicate a subdivision of a book, chapter, or the like, or as a mark of reference to a footnote.
17. Theater. one of a series of circuits for controlling certain lights, as footlights.
18. shape (def. 12).
–verb (used with object)
19. to cut or divide into sections.
20. to cut through so as to present a section.
21. Surgery. to make an incision.
Origin:
1550–60; < L sectiōn- (s. of sectiō) a cutting, equiv. to sect(us) (ptp. of secāre to cut; see saw 1 ) + -iōn- -ion

Synonyms:
1. See part. 8. specimen, sample, cutting.

shape

  [sheyp] noun, verb, shaped, shap⋅ing.
–noun
1. the quality of a distinct object or body in having an external surface or outline of specific form or figure.
2. this quality as found in some individual object or body form: This lake has a peculiar shape.
3. something seen in outline, as in silhouette: A vague shape appeared through the mist.
4. an imaginary form; phantom.
5. an assumed appearance; guise: an angel in the shape of a woman.
6. a particular or definite organized form or expression: He could give no shape to his ideas.
7. proper form; orderly arrangement.
8. condition or state of repair: The old house was in bad shape. He was sick last year, but is in good shape now.
9. the collective conditions forming a way of life or mode of existence: What will the shape of the future be?
10. the figure, physique, or body of a person, esp. of a woman: A dancer can keep her shape longer than those of us who have sedentary jobs.
11. something used to give form, as a mold or a pattern.
12. Also called section. Building Trades, Metalworking. a flanged metal beam or bar of uniform section, as a channel iron, I-beam, etc.
13. Nautical. a ball, cone, drum, etc., used as a day signal, singly or in combinations, to designate a vessel at anchor or engaged in some particular operation.
–verb (used with object)
14. to give definite form, shape, organization, or character to; fashion or form.
15. to couch or express in words: to shape a statement.
16. to adjust; adapt: He shaped everything to suit his taste.
17. to direct (one's course, future, etc.).
18. to file the teeth of (a saw) to uniform width after jointing.
19. Animal Behavior, Psychology. to teach (a desired behavior) to a human or other animal by successively rewarding the actions that more and more closely approximate that behavior.
20. Obsolete. to appoint; decree.
–verb (used without object)
21. to come to a desired conclusion or take place in a specified way: If discussions shape properly, the companies will merge.
—Verb phrase
22. shape up,
a. to assume a specific form: The plan is beginning to shape up.
b. to evolve or develop, esp. favorably.
c. to improve one's behavior or performance to meet a required standard.
d. to get oneself into good physical condition.
e. (of longshoremen) to get into a line or formation in order to be assigned the day's work.
—Idiom
23. take shape, to assume a fixed form; become definite: The house is beginning to take shape.
Origin:
bef. 900; (n.) ME; OE gesceapu (pl.); r. dial. shap, ME; OE gesceap (sing.); c. ON skap state, mood; (v.) ME; OE sceapen (ptp.); r. ME sheppe, shippe, OE sceppan, scyppan; c. G schaffen, ON skepja, Goth -skapjan to make

Related forms:
shap⋅a⋅ble, shape⋅a⋅ble, adjective

Synonyms:
1. silhouette, appearance. See form. 4. specter, illusion. 7. order, pattern. 8. order, situation. 14. mold, model.

sig⋅na⋅ture

  [sig-nuh-cher, -choor]
–noun
1. a person's name, or a mark representing it, as signed personally or by deputy, as in subscribing a letter or other document.
2. the act of signing a document.
3. Music. a sign or set of signs at the beginning of a staff to indicate the key or the time of a piece.
4. Radio. a song, musical arrangement, sound effect, etc., used as a theme identifying a program.
5. any unique, distinguishing aspect, feature, or mark.
6. Medicine/Medical. that part of a written prescription that specifies directions for use.
7. Biology, Medicine/Medical. a distinctive characteristic or set of characteristics by which a biological structure or medical condition is recognized.
8. Also called section. Bookbinding. a printed sheet folded to page size for binding together, with other such sheets, to form a book, magazine, etc.
9. Printing.
a. a letter or other symbol generally placed by the printer at the foot of the first page of every sheet to guide the binder in folding the sheets and in gathering them in sequence.
b. a sheet so marked.
10. Chemistry, Physics. a characteristic trace or sign that indicates the presence of a substance or the occurrence of a physical process or event: The satellite recorded a spectrum that is the signature of a nuclear explosion.
–adjective
11. serving to identify or distinguish a person, group, etc.: a signature tune.
Origin:
1525–35; < ML signātūra a signing, equiv. to L signāt(us) ptp. of signāre to mark (see sign, -ate 1 ) + -ūra -ure

Related forms:
sig⋅na⋅ture⋅less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To section
sec·tion   (sěk'shən)   
n.  

  1. One of several components; a piece.

  2. A subdivision of a written work.

  3. Law A division of a statute or code.

  4. A distinct portion of a newspaper: the sports section.

  5. A distinct area of a town, county, or country: a residential section.

  6. A land unit equal to one square mile (2.59 square kilometers), 640 acres, or 1/36 of a township.

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

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

  9. A segment of a fruit, especially a citrus fruit.

  10. Representation of a solid object as it would appear if cut by an intersecting plane, so that the internal structure is displayed.

  11. Music A group of instruments or voices in the same class considered as a division of a band, orchestra, or choir: the rhythm section; the woodwind section.

  12. A class or discussion group of students taking the same course: She taught three sections of English composition.

    1. A portion of railroad track maintained by a single crew.

    2. An area in a train's sleeping car containing an upper and lower berth.

    3. The character (§) used in printing to mark the beginning of a section.

    4. This character used as the fourth in a series of reference marks for footnotes.

  14. An army tactical unit smaller than a platoon and larger than a squad.

  15. A unit of vessels or aircraft within a division of armed forces.

  16. One of two or more vehicles, such as a bus or train, given the same route and schedule, often used to carry extra passengers.

    1. The character (§) used in printing to mark the beginning of a section.

    2. This character used as the fourth in a series of reference marks for footnotes.

tr.v.   sec·tioned, sec·tion·ing, sec·tions

  1. To separate or divide into parts.

  2. To cut or divide (tissue) surgically.

  3. To shade or crosshatch (part of a drawing) to indicate sections.


[Middle English seccioun, from Old French, from Latin sectiō, sectiōn-, from sectus, past participle of secāre, to cut; see sek- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

section 
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.

shape  (v.)
O.E. scapan, pp. of scieppan "to create, form, destine," from P.Gmc. *skapjanan "create, ordain" (cf. O.N. skapa, Dan. skabe, O.Fris. skeppa, O.H.G. scaffan, Ger. schaffen), from PIE base *(s)kep- "to cut, to scrape, to hack" (see shave), which acquired broad technical senses and in Gmc. a specific sense of "to create." O.E. scieppan survived into M.E. as shippen, but shape emerged as a regular verb (with pt. shaped) by 1500s. The old past participle form shapen survives in misshapen. Phrase Shape up (v.) is attested from 1865 as "progress;" from 1938 as "reform;" shape up or ship out is attested from 1956, originally U.S. military slang, with the sense being "do right or get shipped up to active duty."

signature 
1534, a kind of document in Scottish law, from M.Fr. signature (16c.), from M.L. signatura "sign," in classical L. "the matrix of a seal," from signatus, pp. of signare "to mark, sign" (see sign). Meaning "one's own name written in one's own hand" is from 1580, replacing sign-manual (1428) in this sense.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: sig·na·ture
Function: noun
1 a : the act of signing one's name or of making a mark in lieu thereof b : the name of a person written with his or her own hand to signify that the writing which precedes accords with his or her wishes or intentions c : any mark (as initials, stamp, or printed name) made on a document and intended to serve as an indication of the party's execution or authentication of the document and intent to be bound by it —see also PRIVATE SIGNATURE
2 : a distinguishing or identifying mark, feature, or quality; especially : a distinctive method of committing a crime that is characteristic of an offender
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1sec·tion
Pronunciation: 'sek-sh&n
Function: noun
1 : the action or an instance of cutting or separating bycutting; especially : the action of dividing (as tissues) surgically section> section> —see CESAREAN SECTION
2 : a natural subdivision of a taxonomic group
3 : a very thinslice (as of tissue) suitable for microscopic examination

Main Entry: 2section
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: sec·tioned; sec·tion·ing /-sh(&-)ni[ng]/
1 : to divide (a body part or organ) surgically <section a nerve>
2 : to cut (fixed tissue) into thin slices for microscopic examination

Main Entry: shape
Pronunciation: 'shAp
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: shaped; shap·ing
: to modify (behavior) byrewarding changes that tend toward a desired response

Main Entry: sig·na·ture
Pronunciation: 'sig-n&-"chu(&)r, -ch&r, -"t(y)u(&)r
Function: noun
1 : a feature in theappearance or qualities of a natural object formerly held to indicate its utility in medicine either because of a fancied resemblance to a body part (as a heart-shaped leaf indicating utility in heartdisease) or because of a presumed relation to some phase of a disease (as the prickly nature of thistle indicating utility in case of a stitch in the side)
2 : the part of amedical prescription which contains the directions to the patient
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

section sec·tion (sěk'shən)
n.

  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.

signature sig·na·ture (sĭg'nə-chər)
n.
The part of a physician's prescription containing directions to the patient.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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