fragment

/ˈfrag-mənt/

Middle English, borrowed from Latin fragmentum, from frag-, variant stem of frangere "to break, shatter" + -mentum -ment

noun

  1. a part broken off, detached, or incomplete

The dish lay in fragments on the floor.

part portion piece member division section segment fragment mean something less than the whole. part is a general term appropriate when indefiniteness is required. portion implies an assigned or allotted part.

verb

  1. to fall to pieces

  2. to break up or apart into fragments

noun

  1. variation in the length of a DNA fragment produced by a specific restriction enzyme acting on DNA from different individuals that usually results from a gene mutation and that may be used as a genetic marker