Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - fraction

 noun  Etymology: Middle English fraccioun, from Late Latin ~-, fractio act of breaking, from Latin frangere to break — more at break  Date: 14th century  1.  a. a numerical representation (as 3/4, 5/8, or 3.234) indicating the quotient of two numbers  b.  (1) a piece broken off ; fragment  (2) a discrete unit ; portion  2. one of several portions (as of a distillate) separable by ~ation  3. bit, little a ~ closer