segment

[n. seg-muh nt; v. seg-ment, seg-ment] /n. ˈsɛg mənt; v. ˈsɛg mɛnt, sɛgˈmɛnt/
noun
1.
one of the parts into which something naturally separates or is divided; a division, portion, or section:
a segment of an orange.
2.
Geometry.
  1. a part cut off from a figure, especially a circular or spherical one, by a line or plane, as a part of a circular area contained by an arc and its chord or by two parallel lines or planes.
  2. Also called line segment. a finite section of a line.
3.
Zoology.
  1. any of the rings that compose the body of an annelid or arthropod.
  2. any of the discrete parts of the body of an animal, especially of an arthropod.
4.
an object, as a machine part, having the form of a segment or sector of a circle.
5.
Computers.
  1. a portion of a program, often one that can be loaded and executed independently of other portions.
  2. a unit of data in a database.
6.
an arclike support on which the typebars of a typewriter rest when not in use.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
7.
to separate or divide into segments.
Origin
1560-70; < Latin segmentum, equivalent to sec(āre) to cut + -mentum -ment
Related forms
segmentary
[seg-muh n-ter-ee] /ˈsɛg mənˌtɛr i/ (Show IPA), adjective
segmentate, adjective
intersegment, noun, adjective
multisegment, adjective
multisegmented, adjective
nonsegmentary, adjective
nonsegmented, adjective
unsegmentary, adjective
unsegmented, adjective
Synonyms
1. See part.
Examples from the web for segment
  • In many cases, the campus's own undergraduate population is the single largest segment of the workforce.
  • Rattlesnakes add a segment to their iconic rattles each time they molt.
  • Each segment in the scale bar at the bottom represents one centimeter.
  • One vital segment in making beer is a stage called malting.
  • Online customers will cluster around the point of execution in any market segment.
  • Centipedes have long, segmented bodies, with each segment having a pair of legs.
  • Running between each segment are the hydraulic pistons.
  • Each segment of the skyway is supported independently on its own pier.
  • Snakes add a new rattle segment each time they shed.
  • The length of that distant arc segment is simply proportional to its distance.
British Dictionary definitions for segment

segment

noun (ˈsɛɡmənt)
1.
(maths)
  1. a part of a line or curve between two points
  2. a part of a plane or solid figure cut off by an intersecting line, plane, or planes, esp one between a chord and an arc of a circle
2.
one of several parts or sections into which an object is divided; portion
3.
(zoology) any of the parts into which the body or appendages of an annelid or arthropod are divided
4.
(linguistics) a speech sound considered in isolation
verb (sɛɡˈmɛnt)
5.
to cut or divide (a whole object) into segments
Derived Forms
segmentary (ˈsɛɡməntərɪ; -trɪ) adjective
Word Origin
C16: from Latin segmentum, from secāre to cut
Word Origin and History for segment
n.

1560s, from Latin segmentum "a strip or piece cut off, a cutting, strips of colored cloth," from secare "to cut" (see section (n.)), with euphonious alteration of -c- to -g- before -m-. Latin segmentum was used in Medieval Latin as a geometry term, translating Greek tmema, and the word was first picked up in English in this sense. Meaning "segmental portion of anything circular" is from 1640s; general sense of "a division, section" is from 1762.

v.

1859, intransitive, in reference to cell division, from segment (n.). Transitive sense, "divide (something) into segments" is from 1872. Related: Segmented; segmenting.

segment in Medicine

segment seg·ment (sěg'mənt)
n.

  1. A clearly differentiated subdivision of an organism or part, such as a metamere.

  2. A part of an organ having independent function, supply, or drainage.

  3. See zona.

segment in Science
segment
  (sěg'mənt)   

  1. The portion of a line between any two of its points.

  2. The region bounded by an arc of a circle and the chord that connects the endpoints of the arc.

  3. The portion of a sphere included between a pair of parallel planes that intersect it or are tangent to it.


segment in Technology

/seg'ment/ 1. A collection of pages in a memory management system.
2. A separately relocatable section of an executable program. Unix executables have a text segment (executable machine instructions), a data segment (initialised data) and a bss segment (uninitialised data).
3. network segment.
4. To experience a segmentation fault. Confusingly, the stress is often put on the first syllable, like the noun "segment", rather than the second like mainstream verb "segment". This is because it is actually a noun shorthand that has been verbed.
5. A block of memory in a segmented address space.
[Jargon File]
(2004-02-27)