French word

fraction

Pronunciation

IPA/fʁaksjɔ̃/

Meaning

  • feminine nounfraction

Example

Peux-tu simplifier cette fraction ?

Can you simplify this fraction?

Illustration for fraction (fraction)

More examples

Il reste une fraction du budget pour les imprévus.

A fraction of the budget remains for unforeseen expenses.

Core concept

A measured piece of a whole, represented mathematically by a numerator over a denominator.

Common phrases

  • réduire une fraction

    simplify a fraction

  • une fraction du budget

    a fraction of the budget

Similar words

pourcentage: A number that shows part of a whole as a percentage.
part: A share or section of a larger whole.
portion: An amount divided out for one person or one serving.

Definition in French

Quantité qui représente une partie d'un tout, souvent notée sous la forme a/b en mathématiques.

Word origin

The noun derives from Latin fractio, meaning 'a breaking or division,' formed from frangere, 'to break,' and passed into French through Old French.

Usage tips

  • In ordinary descriptions of a share, une part is often more natural, while fraction strongly suggests a mathematical context.

Other meanings

  • partnoun
  • proportionnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word