Segment: A Piece Cut Off, Precisely
A segment is a part into which something divides naturally. Geometry and marketing both use the word with a specific meaning.
A segment is a part into which something is divided, especially along natural lines: the segments of an orange, of a worm, of a market. Geometry is stricter — a segment of a circle is the region cut off by a straight line, not the pie-shaped sector, and the two are regularly confused.
- A natural division. *Orange segments.*
- A part of a market. *The luxury segment.*
- A region cut off by a line (geometry). *The segment above the chord.*
- To divide. *Segment the audience.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | segment | A single segment. |
| Plural | segments | Body segments. |
| Verb | segment | Segment the data. |
| Noun | segmentation | Market segmentation. |
| Related | sector | A circle sector. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Divide the orange into segments.Natural divisions.
- They target the premium segment.Marketing.
- Insects have three main body segments.Head, thorax and abdomen.
Segment or sector?
- Segment of a circle — the region between a chord and the arc
- Sector of a circle — the pie slice between two radii
- Line segment — a piece of a line with two endpoints
- Market segment — a group of customers with shared characteristics
- Segmentation — the process of dividing into such groups
From Latin *segmentum*, a piece cut off, from *secare*, to cut — the same root as *section*, *sector* and *insect*.
Segment or sector in geometry?
A sector is the pie slice bounded by two radii. A segment is the smaller region cut off by a straight chord.
What is market segmentation?
Dividing customers into groups with similar needs so that products and messages can be tailored to each.