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 segments
  • After all, people can lie in surveys, and segments of the population can be overlooked.
  • Today's restorers have been replacing damaged column segments with fresh marble.
  • With a knife, cut the parent rhizome into segments so each has its own leaf fan.
  • Each rod consists of two segments, an outer and inner, of about equal lengths.
  • It is composed of segments of two spheres of different sizes.
  • At its origin it presents, opposite the segments of the aortic valve, three small dilatations called the aortic sinuses.
  • From the margins of the semicircular notches the fibrous structure of the ring is continued into the segments of the valves.
  • The opening is guarded by a valve, consisting of two segments or lips, which project into the lumen of the large intestine.
  • Enhance participation in governance and personal development among all segments of the college.
  • Any entertainment value the professoriate can afford pales in comparison to other segments found in society.
British Dictionary definitions for segments

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 segments

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.

segments 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.

segments 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.