fractional

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Middle English fraccioun

English fraction

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālisbor.

Old French -albor.

▲

Latin -ālis

Old French -elbor.

▲

Latin -ālisbor.

Middle English -al

English -al

English fractional

From fraction + -al.

Pronunciation

• enPR: frăkʹshənəl, IPA^(key): /ˈfɹæk.ʃən.əl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

fractional (comparative more fractional, superlative most fractional)

1. Pertaining to a fraction.
2. Divided; fragmentary; incomplete.
3. Very small; minute.
   • 1987, Bill Knox, A Flight from Paris, page 93:

     The two women exchanged a glance, then a fractional nod of agreement.

4. (chemistry) Relating to a process or product of fractional distillation.

Synonyms

• (fragmentary): partial, partite, demi-, semi-

Derived terms

• fractional calculus
• fractional crystallization
• fractional distillation
• fractional freezing
• fractional ideal
• fractionalism
• fractionalist
• fractionality
• fractionalization
• fractionalize
• fractionally
• fractional number
• fractional reserve banking
• fractional rig
• fractional volume
• hypofractional
• interfractional
• intrafractional
• multifractional
• nonfractional

Translations

pertaining to a fraction

• Bulgarian: дробен (bg) (droben)
• Catalan: fraccionari
• French: fractionnel (fr), fractionnaire (fr)
• Hindi: भिन्नात्मक (bhinnātmak)
• Icelandic: brotinn, brota- (is)
• Italian: frazionario (it)
• Macedonian: дро́бен (dróben)
• Romanian: fracționar (ro), fracțional
• Russian: дро́бный (ru) (dróbnyj), chem. фракцио́нный (ru) (frakciónnyj)
• Spanish: fraccionario (es)
• Tagalog: hatimbilangin
• Ukrainian: дробови́й (drobovýj)

divided, fragmentary, incomplete

• Bulgarian: частичен (bg) (častičen), непълен (bg) (nepǎlen)
• Macedonian: де́лумен (délumen), не́полн (népoln)
• Persian: کسری (fa) (kasri)
• Russian: фрагмента́рный (ru) (fragmentárnyj), отры́вочный (ru) (otrývočnyj), части́чный (ru) (častíčnyj)

very small

• Bulgarian: незначителен (bg) (neznačitelen)
• Finnish: pikkiriikkinen (fi), pienen pieni, mitätön (fi)
• Macedonian: незначи́телен (neznačítelen)
• Russian: незначи́тельный (ru) (neznačítelʹnyj)

Noun

fractional (plural fractionals)

1. (grammar) An expression of a fractional number.

   In English, most ordinals double as fractionals — "third", "fourth", and so on — with the exception of "second", whose corresponding fractional is "half".

2. Partial ownership of a property, such as real estate or a chartered airplane, such that each partial owner has use of the property for only a portion of the time.

   A fractional is much more expensive than a traditional timeshare, but to many people, it's worth it.

3. (chemistry) Relating to a fraction in a material distillation or separation process.

Anagrams

• intrafocal