Frāc'tion, n.
n. [Fr. fraction, Pr. fraccio, Sp. fraccion, It. frazione, Lat. fractio, from frangere, fractum, to break.]
Sense 1. The act of breaking, or state of being broken, especially by violence. [Obs.]
Neither can the natural body of Christ be subject to any fraction or breaking up. Foxe.
Sense 2. A portion; a fragment. “The fractions of her faith — the fragments, scraps.” Shak.
Sense 3. (Arith. or Alg.) One or more aliquot parts of a unit or whole number; an expression for a definite portion of a unit or magnitude.
Common or vulgar fraction, a fraction in which the number of equal parts into which the integer is supposed to be divided is indicated by figures or letters, called the denominator, written below a line, over which is the numerator, indicating the number of these parts included in the fraction; as ½, one half, ⅖, two fifths. — Decimal fraction, a fraction in which the denominator is a unit or 1 with ciphers annexed, in which case it is commonly expressed by writing the numerator only with a point before it, by which it is separated from whole numbers; thus .5, which denotes five tenths, 5/10; .25, that is, 25/100.