Fraccioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic term for a small portion or part of a larger whole ; the breaking of something into separate pieces
2. A fragment or portion cut from a complete thing ; the action of splitting or breaking something apart
3. An old spelling of a small section taken from a whole ; a process of shattering or dividing an object into parts

Etymology: "Fraccioun" is the Middle English spelling of "fraction." It comes through Old French "fraccion" from Latin "fractio," a noun built on the verb "frangere," meaning "to break." The core idea is a broken piece. The Middle English spelling shows French influence in its "cc" and "-ioun" ending. Modern "fraction" moved back toward the Latin "ct," but the word's meaning stayed the same: a fragment broken off from a whole, which is also why it came to name a part of a number.

Synonyms: fraction, division, portion, fragment, part

Antonyms: whole, entirety