Definition:Fraction/Linguistic Note

Linguistic Note on Fraction

The word fraction derives from the Latin fractus meaning broken.

This is in antithesis to the concept of integer, which derives from the Latin for untouched, in the sense of whole, or unbroken.

Colloquially, informally and rhetorically, the word fraction is typically used to mean a (small) part of a whole, and not in the sense of improper fraction.