Bisection
/ˌbaɪˈsɛk.ʃən/noun
The division of something into two equal parts.
Did you know?Bisection comes from the same Latin root as *section*, *segment*, and *sector*—all descendants of *secare*, “to cut,” the root behind ancient ideas of dividing, slicing, and even marking sacred boundaries.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sek-
“to cut”
Latin
Latin
secare
“to cut”
Latin
Latin
bis- + sectio
“two + a cutting, a division into two parts”
Late Latin / Medieval Latin
Latin
bisectionem
“a division into two parts”
16th Century
English
bisection
“division into two equal parts”
Modern English
English
bisection
“division of something into two equal parts”