Segmentally

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Divided into sections or parts, often used to describe a structure or process that is organized in distinct segments
2. In a manner that involves the partitioning or slicing of an entity into smaller, manageable components
3. Characterized by the segmentation of an object or system into discrete portions, facilitating organized analysis or interaction

Etymology: "Segmentally" is a straightforward formation: the adjective "segmental" with the adverbial suffix "-ly" added to it, giving the sense "in a segmental way." The adjective "segmental" is itself built from "segment," which comes from Latin "segmentum," a piece cut off or a section, derived from "secare," to cut. So the word's core idea is literally cutting something into pieces, and "-ly" simply turns that description of an arrangement into a description of how an action is carried out. In practice, the adverb is most often used in technical settings such as linguistics, phonetics, anatomy and computing, where something is processed or analysed one piece at a time. A phonetician might describe a sound as being examined segmentally, meaning individual consonants and vowels are separated out, while the broader patterns of stress or intonation are treated as a different matter.