section
    n 1: a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or
         musical); "he always turns first to the business section";
         "the history of this work is discussed in the next section"
         [syn: section, subdivision]
    2: a very thin slice (of tissue or mineral or other substance)
       for examination under a microscope; "sections from the left
       ventricle showed diseased tissue"
    3: a distinct region or subdivision of a territorial or
       political area or community or group of people; "no section
       of the nation is more ardent than the South"; "there are
       three synagogues in the Jewish section"
    4: one of several parts or pieces that fit with others to
       constitute a whole object; "a section of a fishing rod";
       "metal sections were used below ground"; "finished the final
       segment of the road" [syn: section, segment]
    5: a small team of policemen working as part of a police platoon
    6: one of the portions into which something is regarded as
       divided and which together constitute a whole; "the written
       part of the exam"; "the finance section of the company"; "the
       BBC's engineering division" [syn: part, section,
       division]
    7: a land unit equal to 1 square mile
    8: (geometry) the area created by a plane cutting through a
       solid [syn: section, plane section]
    9: a small class of students who are part of a larger course but
       are taught separately; "a graduate student taught sections
       for the professor's lecture course" [syn: section,
       discussion section]
    10: a division of an orchestra containing all instruments of the
        same class
    11: a small army unit usually having a special function
    12: a specialized division of a large organization; "you'll find
        it in the hardware department"; "she got a job in the
        historical section of the Treasury" [syn: department,
        section]
    13: a segment of a citrus fruit; "he ate a section of the
        orange"
    14: the cutting of or into body tissues or organs (especially by
        a surgeon as part of an operation) [syn: incision,
        section, surgical incision]
    v 1: divide into segments; "segment an orange"; "segment a
         compound word" [syn: segment, section]

Section \Sec"tion\, n. [L. sectio, fr. secare, sectum, to cut;
   akin to E. saw a cutting instrument: cf. F. section. See
   Saw, and cf. Scion, Dissect, Insect, Secant,
   Segment.]
   1. The act of cutting, or separation by cutting; as, the
      section of bodies.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. A part separated from something; a division; a portion; a
      slice. Specifically: 
      [1913 Webster]
      (a) A distinct part or portion of a book or writing; a
          subdivision of a chapter; the division of a law or
          other writing; a paragraph; an article; hence, the
          character [sect], often used to denote such a
          division.
          [1913 Webster]

                It is hardly possible to give a distinct view of
                his several arguments in distinct sections.
                                                  --Locke.
          [1913 Webster]
      (b) A distinct part of a country or people, community,
          class, or the like; a part of a territory separated by
          geographical lines, or of a people considered as
          distinct.
          [1913 Webster]

                The extreme section of one class consists of
                bigoted dotards, the extreme section of the
                other consists of shallow and reckless empirics.
                                                  --Macaulay.
          [1913 Webster]
      (c) One of the portions, of one square mile each, into
          which the public lands of the United States are
          divided; one thirty-sixth part of a township. These
          sections are subdivided into quarter sections for sale
          under the homestead and preemption laws.
          [1913 Webster]

   3. (Geom.) The figure made up of all the points common to a
      superficies and a solid which meet, or to two superficies
      which meet, or to two lines which meet. In the first case
      the section is a superficies, in the second a line, and in
      the third a point.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. (Nat. Hist.) A division of a genus; a group of species
      separated by some distinction from others of the same
      genus; -- often indicated by the sign [sect].
      [1913 Webster]

   5. (Mus.) A part of a musical period, composed of one or more
      phrases. See Phrase.
      [1913 Webster]

   6. The description or representation of anything as it would
      appear if cut through by any intersecting plane; depiction
      of what is beyond a plane passing through, or supposed to
      pass through, an object, as a building, a machine, a
      succession of strata; profile.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: In mechanical drawing, as in these Illustrations of a
         cannon, a longitudinal section (a) usually represents
         the object as cut through its center lengthwise and
         vertically; a cross or transverse section (b), as cut
         crosswise and vertically; and a horizontal section (c),
         as cut through its center horizontally. Oblique
         sections are made at various angles. In architecture, a
         vertical section is a drawing showing the interior, the
         thickness of the walls, etc., as if made on a vertical
         plane passed through a building.
         [1913 Webster]

   Angular sections (Math.), a branch of analysis which treats
      of the relations of sines, tangents, etc., of arcs to the
      sines, tangents, etc., of their multiples or of their
      parts. [R.]

   Conic sections. (Geom.) See under Conic.

   Section liner (Drawing), an instrument to aid in drawing a
      series of equidistant parallel lines, -- used in
      representing sections.

   Thin section, a section or slice, as of mineral, animal, or
      vegetable substance, thin enough to be transparent, and
      used for study under the microscope.
      [1913 Webster]

   Syn: Part; portion; division.

   Usage: Section, Part. The English more commonly apply the
          word section to a part or portion of a body of men;
          as, a section of the clergy, a small section of the
          Whigs, etc. In the United States this use is less
          common, but another use, unknown or but little known
          in England, is very frequent, as in the phrases "the
          eastern section of our country," etc., the same sense
          being also given to the adjective sectional; as,
          sectional feelings, interests, etc.
          [1913 Webster]

Section, AL -- U.S. town in Alabama
   Population (2000):    769
   Housing Units (2000): 352
   Land area (2000):     4.581287 sq. miles (11.865478 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    4.581287 sq. miles (11.865478 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            69000
   Located within:       Alabama (AL), FIPS 01
   Location:             34.578155 N, 85.988114 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     35771
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Section, AL
    Section