A cutting; a part cut out from the rest of something.
section — Definition and meaning
• A part, piece, subdivision of anything. A group of instruments in an orchestra.
• A group of instruments in an orchestra.
• A part of a document, especially a major part; often notated with §.
• An act or instance of cutting.
• A cross-section (image that shows an object as if cut along a plane). A cross-section perpendicular the longitudinal axis of an aircraft in flight. A function that generalizes the notion of the graph of a function; formally, a continuous right inverse to the projection map of a fiber bundle. A right inverse of a morphism in some category
• A cross-section perpendicular the longitudinal axis of an aircraft in flight.
• A function that generalizes the notion of the graph of a function; formally, a continuous right inverse to the projection map of a fiber bundle.
• A right inverse of a morphism in some category
• An object which is defined by analogy with sections of fiber bundles but in a more general setting (that of sheaves). Formally, an element of the image of an open set under the action of a (pre-)sheaf.
• An incision or the act of making an incision. Ellipsis of Caesarean section.
• Ellipsis of Caesarean section.
• thin section, a thin slice of material prepared as a specimen for research.
• A taxonomic rank below the genus (and subgenus if present), but above the species.
• An informal taxonomic rank below the order ranks and above the family ranks.
• A group of 10-15 soldiers led by a non-commissioned officer and forming part of a platoon.
• A piece of residential land; a plot.
• Synonym of square mile, a unit of land area, especially in the contexts of Canadian surveys and American land grants and legal property descriptions.
• The symbol §, denoting a section of a document.
• A sequence of rock layers.
• Archeological section; vertical plane and cross-section of the ground to view its profile and stratigraphy; part of an archeological sequence.
• Angle section, L-section, angle iron, steel angle, slotted angle.
• A class in a school; a group of students in a regularly scheduled meeting with a teacher in a certain school year or semester or school quarter year.
(Verb) To cut, divide or separate into pieces.
• To reduce to the degree of thinness required for study with the microscope.
• To commit (a person) to a hospital for mental health treatment as an involuntary patient. So called after various sections of legal acts regarding mental health.
• To perform a cesarean section on (someone).
The importance of section
section appears in U.S. legal practice across multiple practice areas. Knowing what it means — and when it applies — can determine the outcome of motions, filings, and negotiations. For non-lawyers, the value of looking up a precise definition is that legal terms often carry meanings that differ from everyday usage; relying on the common meaning can lead to costly missteps.
How section is applied
In practice, section is invoked when parties, judges, or attorneys need to identify the legal status of an issue, the rights of those involved, or the procedural step required next. The definition shown above is sourced from Wiktionary , which is widely cited in U.S. legal practice. Because U.S. law is jurisdictionally layered — federal, state, and sometimes local — the precise application of the term can vary by court, so check the controlling authority for your specific case.