Fractional
/ˈfræk.ʃən.əl/noun
Relating to or expressed in fractions; small in proportion to a whole.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Latin *frangere*, meaning “to break,” the same ancient root behind words like “fragile” and “fracture,” so even math carries a buried history of breaking.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bhrengʰ-
“to break”
Latin
Latin
frangere
“to break”
Latin
Latin
fractio
“a breaking, a breaking into pieces”
Old French
Old French
fraction
“a breaking, fragment; a part of a whole”
Middle English
English
fraction
“a part of a whole, especially in arithmetic”
Modern English
English
fractional
“relating to a fraction; divided into small parts”