fraction

/fˈɹækʃən/FRAK-shuhn

Meaninga breaking

Common meaning: a piece of a whole, written as one number over another

fractto break, shatterLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 776 · scan
ionnoun ending: act or result

Journey through time

Latinfrangō, frēgī, frāctum‘to break, shatter’
Middle Englishfractionsource
Englishfraction‘a piece of a whole, written as one number over another’ · today

fract also in: fracture frail fragile fragment

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin frangō ‘to break, shatter’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry frangō, p. 776 · dictionary scan; Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry FRAIL, p. 218 · dictionary scan

Roots

frangō, frēgī, frāctum Latin “to break, shatter”

Related words

fracture fragile fragment frail

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