Fading winter?
Friday, 8 February 2008
…from the mountains last weekend…
This morning I noticed it’s getting light earlier—for the first time in this winter-ending portion of the annual seasonal cycle.
Today’s vocabulary: part/fragment/segment…
The whole is equal to the sum of its parts—part being a general term for any of the components of a whole. But how did the whole come apart? Fragment suggests that breakage has occurred (fragments of pottery) and often refers to a brittle substance such as glass or pottery. Segment suggests that the whole has been separated along natural or pre-existing lines of division (a segment of an orange), and section suggests a substantial and clearly separate part that fits closely with other parts to form the whole (a section of a bookcase). Fraction usually suggests a less substantial but still clearly delineated part (a fraction of her income), and a portion is a part that has been allotted or assigned to someone (her portion of the program). Finally, the very frequently used piece is any part that is separate from the whole.
…definition from the Apple Dictionary, of course….