fragment

[n. frag-muh nt; v. frag-muh nt, -ment, frag-ment] /n. ˈfræg mənt; v. ˈfræg mənt, -mɛnt, frægˈmɛnt/
noun
1.
a part broken off or detached:
scattered fragments of the broken vase.
2.
an isolated, unfinished, or incomplete part:
She played a fragment of her latest composition.
3.
an odd piece, bit, or scrap.
verb (used without object)
4.
to collapse or break into fragments; disintegrate:
The chair fragmented under his weight.
verb (used with object)
5.
to break (something) into pieces or fragments; cause to disintegrate:
Outside influences soon fragmented the Mayan culture.
6.
to divide into fragments; disunify.
7.
Computers. to split a file into smaller parts and store in non-contiguous sectors on a disk, resulting in fragmentation of both the file and available free space on the disk.
Compare fragmentation (def 4).
Origin
1375-1425; late Middle English < Latin fragmentum a broken piece, remnant, equivalent to frag- (stem of frangere to break) + -mentum -ment
Synonyms
1–3. See part.
Examples from the web for fragment
  • Each fragment contains microscopic fossils-pieces of plants and fungi.
  • Plastic bags fragment into small pieces that are polluting our oceans and land, and entering our food chain.
  • One of the videos briefly showed a tin roof with an obvious dent and a large fragment as well as many smaller pieces.
  • Lacking the consortium, it was a fragment of what it was.
  • But radio waves are fairly low energy, and they represent only a fragment of the star's intensity.
  • They will soon return to recover what may be a fragment of the cosmic object.
  • It's going to fragment a much larger area with pipelines and roads and facilities.
  • Transition to a new set of leaders could therefore cause the ruling elite to fragment as new factions gain the upper hand.
  • They fragment ecosystems, send species into extinction and may even trigger earthquakes.
  • Cable television changed that by starting to fragment the audience.
British Dictionary definitions for fragment

fragment

noun (ˈfræɡmənt)
1.
a piece broken off or detached: fragments of rock
2.
an incomplete piece; portion: fragments of a novel
3.
a scrap; morsel; bit
verb (fræɡˈmɛnt)
4.
to break or cause to break into fragments
Word Origin
C15: from Latin fragmentum, from frangere to break
Word Origin and History for fragment
n.

early 15c., from Latin fragmentum "a fragment, remnant," literally "a piece broken off," from root of frangere "to break" (see fraction).

v.

by 1788 (implied in fragmented), from fragment (n.). Related: Fragmenting.

fragment in Medicine

fragment frag·ment (frāg'mənt)
n.

  1. A small part broken off or detached.

  2. An incomplete or isolated portion; a bit.

v. frag·ment·ed, frag·ment·ing, frag·ments (frāg'měnt')
To break or separate into fragments.
fragment in Technology


fragmentation