Fraction

Fraction
The breaking of the bread which in all Eucharistic Liturgies takes place before the Communion. It goes back to Christ's action at the original institution (Matt. 26:26), and was a sufficiently striking element in the primitive rite to make the "breaking of bread" (Acts 2:42; 20:7) a regular name for the Eucharist.
According to the Coptic rites, "Fraction" is performed in two stages during the celebration of the Liturgy:
Immediately after the prayers of crossing the gifts, known also as the recitation of the words of institution, where the celebrant takes the Oblation and slightly divides it into one-third and two-thirds sections, without actually separating them.
The second stage follows the Epiclesis of the Liturgy, and is accompanied by special prayers known as fraction prayers.
"Fractions" follows the rite of Commemoration, in it the celebrant divides the Holy Body into thirteen parts. This numeral refers to the Lord Jesus Christ gathering together with His twelve disciples.
Through the Fraction we can recognize in Christ His church united in Him.

Dictionary of church terms. — St. GEORGE'S COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH SPORTING - ALEXANDRIA EGYPT. .

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  • fraction — [ fraksjɔ̃ ] n. f. • 1187; « rupture » v. 1400; bas lat. fractio, de frangere « briser » I ♦ Liturg. La fraction du pain : action de rompre le pain eucharistique avant de communier. II ♦ 1 ♦ (1538) Math. Nombre rationnel, élément de l ensemble Q …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Fraction — Frac tion, n. [F. fraction, L. fractio a breaking, fr. frangere, fractum, to break. See {Break}.] 1. The act of breaking, or state of being broken, especially by violence. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Neither can the natural body of Christ be subject to …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fraction — Fraction. subst. fem. Action par laquelle on rompt. En ce sens il n a d usage qu en certaines phrases consacrées. Les Pelerins d Emaüs connurent nostre Seigneur à la fraction du pain. le corps de Jesus Christ n est point rompu par la fraction de… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • fraction — frac‧tion [ˈfrækʆn] noun [countable] a very small amount of something: • Generic versions of the drug sell for a fraction of the branded price. * * * fraction UK US /ˈfrækʃən/ noun [C, usually singular] ► a small part or amount of something:… …   Financial and business terms

  • fraction — in general use means ‘a very small part’: • Teaching loads at white schools often are only a fraction the size of those at black schools Saturday Review, AmE 1971. This use is idiomatic despite the pedantic objection occasionally heard that a… …   Modern English usage

  • Fraction — Frac tion, v. t. (Chem.) To separate by means of, or to subject to, fractional distillation or crystallization; to fractionate; frequently used with out; as, to fraction out a certain grade of oil from pretroleum. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fraction — [n1] part bite, chunk, cut, division, end, fragment, half, piece, portion, section, share, slice; concept 835 Ant. entirety, total, whole fraction [n2] incomplete number bit, division, fragment, part, partial, piece, portion, quotient, ratio,… …   New thesaurus

  • Fraction — (v. lat.), 1) Bruch; 2) das Brechen; 3) in den parlamentarischen Parteien die kleineren Unterabtheilungen od. Gruppen, welche in einzelnen Principienfragen von der Hauptpartei abweichen …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Fraction — Fraction, lat. fractio, Brechung, Bruch; Partei. Fractur, Knochenbruch; in der Buchdruckerei die eckige deutsche Schrift; in der Kalligraphie die Kanzleischrift, die nachgeahmte deutsche Druckschrift …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • fraction — index constituent (part), element, installment, member (constituent part), modicum, moiety, part …   Law dictionary

  • fraction — late 14c., originally in the mathematical sense, from Anglo Fr. fraccioun (O.Fr. fraccion, 12c., breaking ) and directly from L.L. fractionem (nom. fractio) a breaking, especially into pieces, noun of action from pp. stem of L. frangere to break …   Etymology dictionary

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