Subsectie

Subsectie is a term used in several languages, notably Dutch and Romanian without diacritics, to denote a subdivision of a section within a document, specification, or other structured material. The English equivalent is subsection, and the concept is common across legal texts, academic writings, manuals, and websites. Subsections help to organize content hierarchically, allowing authors to break complex information into smaller, related parts while preserving a clear boundary to the broader section.

Etymology traces subsectie and related terms to Latin roots: sub- meaning under or beneath, and sectio meaning a cutting or division. Over time, the word has become a standard label for a secondary division in many disciplines, with local spelling variants such as subsecțiune in Romanian and subsectie in Dutch.

Usage and formatting guidelines vary by field and style guide, but common practices include numbering and headings to convey hierarchy. Decimal numbering (for example, 1.2, 1.2.1) or visual heading levels (Heading 2, Heading 3) are typical ways to indicate subsections. In legal documents, subsections may define specific clauses or provisions within a section; in academic writing, they organize methods, results, or arguments; in manuals or websites, they aid navigation and accessibility.

In digital contexts, subsections are implemented through markup and typesetting: LaTeX uses \subsection, HTML uses nested headings such as h2 and h3, and Markdown typically uses secondary level headings. The concept remains central to clear communication and navigation in structured documents and information systems.

See also: section, heading, outline, subsectioning, document structure.