sb. Also 4–6 fraccion, -yon. [a. OF. fraccion (Fr. fraction), ad. eccl.L. fractiōn-em, n. of action f. frangĕre to break.]
1. The action of breaking: a. in the Eucharist: the breaking or dividing of the bread.
1504. Atkynson, trans. De Imitatione, II. xi. 190. Many foloweth hym to be parteners of the fraccyon of his brede, but there be fewe that wyll paciently drynke with hym of his chalice of trybulacion.
1602. T. Fitzherbert, Apol., 50. Though it may be said as S. Chrisostome sayth, that he suffreth fraction or breaking in the Sacrament when it is broken (by reason of his real & true presence therein) yet he suffreth it without hurt or diuision of his person.
1737. Waterland, Eucharist, 67. The distributing the Bread to the Company, after the Benediction and Fraction, was customary among the Jews: and here likewise our Lord was pleased to adopt the like ceremony.
1877. J. D. Chambers, Divine Worship, 377. The Fraction is the most solemn, ancient, and significant Action of the whole of the Formulary of Consecration, co-existent with it, and a constituent indispensable part of it.
† b. with reference to material things in general, and to lines, etc.; also, refraction (of light). Obs.
1571. Digges, Pantom., I. xxi. G j b. Glasses transparent, whiche by fraction should vnite or dissipate the images or figures presented by the reflection of other.
1612. Woodall, The Surgeons Mate, Wks. (1653), 271. Fraction is the breaking of some matter with ones hand, or with an instrument.
1656. trans. Hobbes’ Elem. Philos. (1839), 195. We may understand, what it is that determines the bending or curvation of a strait line into the circumference of a circle; namely, that it is fraction continually increasing in the same manner, as numbers, from one upwards, increase by the continual addition of unity.
1684. T. Burnet, The Theory of the Earth, I. iii. 30. Several parcels of Nature that retain still the evident marks of fraction and ruine.
1813. T. Busby, Lucretius, I. Comment. xxi. Had compound bodies been subject to unlimited fraction, the minuteness of parts to which they would be reduced, would, long since, have enfeebled all the plastic powers of nature.
c. with reference to immaterial things; chiefly in obsolete uses, e.g., a disturbance (of the mind), an infraction or rupture (of the peace).
1547. Boorde, Brev. Health, 27. This impediment [dreames] … may come … specially of fraction of the mynde.
1627–77. Feltham, Resolves, II. v. 170. When the Affections are glewed to the world, Death makes not a Dissolution, but a Fraction; and not only separates the soul, but tears it away.
1721. Strype, Eccl. Mem., I. iv. 51. The French king having lost his friendship by divers fractions of the peace with England.
1842. Sir H. Taylor, Edwin the Fair, I. v.
| The blackbird sang us forth; from yonder bough | |
| That hides the arbour, loud and full at first | |
| Warbling his invitations, then with pause | |
| And fraction fitfully as evening fell. |
† 2. The result of breaking; the state of being broken; a broken place, breach, fissure, rupture; spec. in Surg. a fracture. Obs.
1587. Fleming, Contn. Holinshed, III. 1349/1. Bonesetting, and healing of bones broken, termed commonlie fractions.
1658. A. Fox, trans. Wurtz’ Surg., II. vii. 67. Carefully feel with your finger, whether there be any fraction or congealed bloud at hand.
1685. Travestin Siege Neivheuset 20 We … made large Fractions in the Bastion.
1690. T. Burnet, The Theory of the Earth, I. 36. If we had seen the Mountains when they were new born and raw, when the Earth was fresh-broken, and the waters of the Deluge newly retir’d, the fractions and confusions of them would have appear’d very gastly and frightful.
1705. Cherry, in Hearne, Collect. (Oxf. Hist. Soc.), I. 22. I met with a fall before I got to Henly which caus’d a great fraction in my nose but did me not much hurt else.
1798. W. Blair, The Soldier’s Friend, 114. The accidents, in which the miliary are more immediately concerned, are wounds, fractions, and dislocations.
† 3. An interruption of good feeling or harmony; discord, dissension; a rupture. In early use also: A breach of the peace, brawling. Obs.
1502. Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W., 1506), IV. ix. 193. Whiche taketh wylfully ony persone in the chyrche or chyrcheyarde … or ye whiche there maketh ony fraccion.
1591. Horsey, Trav. (Hakluyt Soc.), 262. They both made in this turbulant tyme very timorous to take it; betwen the Poll and them fræctions, and fæctions among themselves; all owt of jointe, not lickly to be reduced a longe tyme to any good form of peaceable government.
1606. Shaks., Tr. & Cr., II. iii. 107. Their fraction is more our wish than their faction.
1670. Cotton, Espernon, II. VI. 262. By which means the variety of their interests not permitting them to concur in an Act, wherein each of them would be ambitious to precede, a fraction betwixt them must of necessity ensue.
a. 1713. Shaftesbury Charac. (1749), III. 143. A new Minister!—Fractions at Court.—Ship-wreck of Ministrys.
1721. [see 1 c].
4. Something broken off; a disconnected portion; a fragment, scrap, small piece. Said with reference both to material and immaterial things. By fractions: piecemeal, by halves. Now rare.
1606. Shaks., Tr. & Cr., V. ii. 158. The fractions of her faith, orts of her loue. Ibid. (1607), Timon, II. ii. 220. After distasteful looks and these hard fractions.
1641. Prynne, Antip., To the Reader. My primitive intention was, to have presented thee with this Historicall Antipathy intirely at the same instant without fractions.
1656. Davenant, Siege Rhodes, I. To Rdr. You may inquire, being a Reader, why my numbers are so often diversify’d and fall into short fractions.
1657. Sanderson, Pref. to Serm. (1681), § 23. Whilest they are still crumbling into Fractions and Factions.
1796. H. Hunter, trans. St. Pierre’s Studies of Nature (1799), II. 19. He must of necessity, therefore, deceive them; for no one is disposed to be a friend by fractions.
1840. Carlyle, Heroes (1858), 233. Mahomet’s followers found the Koran lying all in fractions, as it had been written-down at first promulgation.
† b. ? A paragraph or section (of a book). Obs.
1625. Burges, Pers. Tithes, 44. In the next Fraction after that branch of the Statute here alleadged, it is said; Prouided alwaies and be it enacted [etc.].
5. Math. a. Arith. A numerical quantity that is not an integer; 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 fractions are those in which the numerator and denominator are represented by numbers placed the one above, the other below, a horizontal line. Sometimes fraction is used for ‘vulgar fraction,’ or for a quantity expressed by means of a numerator and denominator; e.g., ‘the fraction 4/2 = 2.’ For complex, compound, continued, decimal, proper and improper fractions, see those words.
c. 1391. Chaucer, Astrol., Prol. § 3. For wel wot every astrologien that smallest fraccions ne wol nat ben shewed in so smal an instrument, as in subtil tables calculed for a cause.
1542. Recorde, Gr. Artes, 130 b. Thenne maye I boldly enstructe you in ye arte of fractions or broken nomber.
1614. Raleigh, Hist. World, II. (1634), 214. But the very minutes and lesser fractions were to be observed by him, that would seeke to reduce their motions (which motions also were not still alike) into any certaine rules.
1668. Wilkins, Real Char., 393. A Fraction may be exprest; If it be the Aliquot part of a Number, by the Adjective Neuter, with the Transcendental Mark of Part.
1705. Arbuthnot, Coins (1754), 45. Pliny put a round number near the truth, rather than a fraction.
1811. W. Irving, Life & Lett. (1864), I. 269. This place would suit you to a fraction, as you could find company suitable to every varying mood of mind, and men capable of conversing and giving you information on every subject on which you might wish to be informed.
1812–6. Playfair, Nat. Phil., II. 243. The deflection from the tangent in one second, if reduced to feet, comes out 16 and a small fraction.
1827. Hutton, Course Math., I. 86. The vulgar fraction may be reduced to a decimal, then joined to the integer, and the root of the whole extracted.
1838. De Morgan, Ess. Probab., 30. The probability of an event is measured by the fraction which the number of favourable cases is of all that can happen.
1846. Greener, Sc. Gunnery, 392. The Belgians too find the same result to a fraction.
1847. Grote, Greece, I. xxviii. (1862), III. 43. The village is a fraction, but the city is an unit.
1878. Huxley, Physiography, 12. The fraction which denotes the ratio of the two distances is sometimes termed the representative fraction.
b. Alg. An expression analogous to an arithmetical vulgar fraction, in which the numerator and denominator are algebraical terms or expressions.
1812–16. Playfair, Nat. Phil. (1819), I. 39. This fraction is a maximum, when the denominator A + B + AC/B + C is a minimum.
Hence Fraction v., to break into fractions or pieces. Fractionlet, a small fragment.
1830. Carlyle, in Froude, Life in Lond. (1882), II. 88. Wrote a fractionlet of verse, entitled ‘The Beetle.’ Ibid. (1840), Heroes, ii. 47. The rest of the Nation, fractioned and cut-asunder by deserts, lived under similar rude patriarchal governments by one or several.
