sectionaladj.n.
/ˈsɛkʃənəl/ A. adj.
1. Pertaining to a section or division of a larger part.
a. Pertaining to a section or sections of a country, society, or population; sometimes (of interests, etc.) with implied opposition to general.
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society > society and the community > [adjective] > relating to a part of society
sectional1806
1806 Deb. Congr. U.S. 15 Apr. (1852) 1042 Let a narrow, selfish, local, sectional policy prevail and struggles will commence.
1816 Monthly Mag. 42 230 In the sectional or parish assemblies during the revolution a cobbler ascended the tribune.
1856 W. Irving Life Washington II. 559 The sectional jealousies prevalent among them [sc. the troops from the different provinces] were more and more a subject of uneasiness to Washington.
1865 W. C. Fowler (title) The Sectional Controversy; or passages in the political history of the United States, including the courses of the war between the sections.
1881 Nature 4 Aug. 325 The sectional meetings are being held in the rooms of the various scientific societies in the Burlington House region.
1886 Campbell-Bannerman Speech 13 May in Parl. Deb. 3rd Ser. 305 948 Those who anticipate the further embitterment of sectional and sectarian strife [in Ireland].
1908 Daily Chron. 25 Feb. 6/6 The design includes only the Cross of St. George, the sectional emblem of England.
b. Prosody. Pertaining to a section or member of a verse.
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society > leisure > the arts > literature > poetry > part of poem > [adjective] > relating to or consisting of lines > relating to a section of a line
sectional1838
1838 E. Guest Hist. Eng. Rhythms I. i. vi. 125 Sectional Rhime is that which exists between syllables contained in the same section.
1838 E. Guest Hist. Eng. Rhythms i. vii. 154 Perhaps we may infer, that the sectional pause was originally a stop.
c. Of the nature of a section, incomplete.
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the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > [adjective]
halfa1300
brokec1380
incompletec1380
imperfecta1398
infecta1398
unperfecta1398
uncompletec1430
unfullc1450
partile1576
unentire?1605
half-faced1607
fragmentary1612
broken1634
partiary1654
fractional1675
fractionarya1690
half-way1694
fragmentala1763
half-and-half1796
fragmentitious1827
incompleted1836
sectional1848
mincemeaty1870
1848 P. J. Bailey Festus (ed. 3) 204 Our life is incomplete and sectional.
2.
a. Of or pertaining to a section (sense A. 4), relating to the view of the structure of a body in section.
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the world > space > shape > flatness or levelness > [adjective] > belonging or related to plane surface > exposed by section
sectional1825
society > communication > representation > a plastic or graphic representation > graphic representation > drawing plans or diagrams > [adjective] > of or relating to a section
sectional1825
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 181 Part of the furnace is shown in a sectional view.
1868 W. Humber Strains in Girders 67 For sectional area of material, substitute an equivalent strain.
1874 tr. E. Lommel Nature of Light (ed. 4) 79 Chief or principal planes or sections, having the same sectional outline.
b. sectional line n. Geology the line on the earth's surface through which a section is supposed to be made.
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the world > the earth > earth sciences > geology > [noun] > measurement of strata > line or representation
sectional line1831
profile1929
1831 A. Sedgwick in Trans. Geol. Soc. (1836) 2nd Ser. 4 87 From Dent the sectional line ranges over the top of Risell to the Garsdale river.
1850 T. Baker Mensuration 121 To draw a sectional line of several points in the earth's surface, the levels of which have been taken.
3. Composed or made up of several sections or parts fitting into one another.
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the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > [adjective] > proper or standard > accurate in fit
fit1530
dovetailing1821
sectional1875
mated1912
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Sectional Steam-boiler.
1901 Furniture Rec. 15 June (Suppl.) 4 The Gunn K.D. Sectional Book Cases.
1909 ‘O. Henry’ Roads of Destiny v. 74 A word from me was more to them than a whole deckle-edged library from East Aurora in sectional bookcases was from anybody else.
1937 Discovery Feb. 35/1 They had hoped to use a very light sectional building.
1957 Times 2 July (Agric. Suppl.) p. vi/2 A typical old barn now houses the grain intake pit, cleaner, pre-dry bin, continuous dryer, and sectional storage bins.
1960 Which? Jan. 5 Sectional boiler, coke-fired.
4. Of steel: rolled in the form of sections (sense 2p).
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1881 Jrnl. Iron & Steel Inst. 703 The sectional forms given..are intended to supply the requirements of engineers engaged in the construction of railways, warehouses, public buildings, and similar work.
1916 Jrnl. Iron & Steel Inst. 93 354 All the sectional material rolled differs from the ideal by not giving equal distribution of stress in the material.
1924 H. J. Skelton Econ. Iron & Steel 279 Wherever practicable, it is desirable that rolled shapes or sectional material in mild steel should be ordered from the list of British Standard Sections.
1924 Times Trade & Engin. Suppl. 29 Nov. 242/3 Although there is a very slight increase in the demand for sectional material, steelmakers are scarce of specifications for ship and boiler plates.
B. n. elliptical.
A piece of furniture composed of sections which can be used separately; spec. one which can be used either as a sofa or as a set of chairs. U.S.
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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > [noun] > types of furniture generally > piece of
encoignure1848
Chippendale1875
unit1899
Victorian1905
island1932
sectional1961
1961 Webster's 3rd New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang.
1972 Village Voice (N.Y.) 1 June 3/1 (advt.) Top quality convertible sofas & sectionals.
1977 Time 28 Mar. 50/2 One day Lily and Richard decided that the living-room sofa would look better as a sectional. Practical kids, they picked up a saw and divided it into three pieces.
1980 Redbook Oct. 86 (advt.) Display the sectionals alone or group them with matching modular pieces.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.n.1806