section

Imagine a pie or a book. You do not deal with the whole thing all at once. You break it into smaller parts. A *section* is one clear part of something bigger, whether that is a pie, a book, a city, or a group of people.

Think about a newspaper. It has *sections like "Sports," "Politics," and "Local News." In an orchestra, there is a string section and a brass section. You can also section off an area, meaning to divide it for a special use, like saving one section of a concert hall for VIP guests. Sometimes, a section* is also a department in an organization.

The word "*section" refers to a clear part of something larger. It can be a physical part, an area, a group, or one named part of a text or system. If you peel an orange, it comes apart into sections. A map may be divided into sections so you can find places more easily. A long document, form, or textbook is also often broken into sections*, with each one covering a different topic.

But "*section" is not limited to physical parts. It is also a common word for parts of laws, rules, and contracts. In music, a section can mean a group of instruments, such as the string section, or one part of a song, such as the verse or chorus. In science, a cross-section* shows what something looks like inside after it has been cut across.

There is also a verb form, "*section," which means to divide something into parts. A cook may section a grapefruit, and a scientist or doctor may section tissue for study. The word can also describe a part of a city, a part of a store, or a department in an organization. In all of these uses, "section*" points to one part that belongs to a larger whole.