fragmento

Fragmento is a noun used in Spanish and Portuguese to denote a part that has broken off from a larger object, or an extracted portion of something non-material. It can refer to a tangible piece, such as a shard or bone fragment, as well as to an incomplete or partial element of text, data, or media. The term implies that the piece is not the whole.

Etymology and usage: fragmentum is derived from Latin, with frangere meaning “to break.” In everyday language, fragmento can describe physical remnants as well as excerpts or samples.

In literature and rhetoric, a fragmento is often an incomplete or isolated portion of writing, such as a fragment of a poem or a quoted excerpt. It may be used to convey a sense of incompleteness, to highlight a particular moment, or to invite interpretation.

In archaeology and art history, fragmentos are common references to recovered pieces of pottery, sculpture, or other artifacts. These fragments can illuminate aspects of past cultures, even when the original object is no longer whole.

In science and medicine, fragmento can denote a segment of genetic material (DNA or RNA) or a tissue fragment used in analysis or research. In biomedicine, fragmentos are frequently analyzed to study structure or function.

In computing and digital media, fragmento can refer to a small piece of code, a video or audio excerpt, or a data fragment within a storage system. The related concept of fragmentation describes the distribution of data into non-contiguous blocks.

See also: fragment, fragmentary, fragmento de código, fragmentación, excerpt, shard.