Definition of the word segment

The word "segment" derives from the Latin word "sectus" meaning "cut" or "sectioned." This word came into the English language through French, which used the term "section" to refer to a part of a whole with a distinct shape or form. In the context of geometry and biology, a segment is a portion of a larger object that is marked off by distinct boundaries, such as the curved part between two points on a circle (as in a circular segment of a pie) or a distinct division in a larger structure, such as a segment of an animal's body (as in a segmented worm). The concept of segmentation is also found in physics and engineering, where a segment is a portion of a larger object that can be separately analyzed or manipulated. In all these contexts, the idea of a segment involves identifying a division or part that has a clear shape and can be understood as a distinct entity within a larger whole.