cross section: Meaning and Definition of

cross' sec"tion

1. a section made by a plane cutting anything transversely, esp. at right angles to the longest axis.
2. a piece so cut off.
3. a photograph, diagram, or other pictorial representation of such a section.
4. the act of cutting anything across.
5. a typical selection; a sample showing all characteristic parts, relationships, etc.: a cross section of American opinion.
6. a vertical section of the ground surface taken at right angles to a survey line.
7. Also calleda quantity expressing the effective area that a given nucleus presents as a target to a bombarding particle, giving a measure of the probability that the particle will induce a reaction.

cross-sec•tion

1. of or pertaining to a cross section.

1. to make or divide into a cross section.