切片(せっぺん)

せっぺん
noun
section; slice; intercept
formalwrittensciencenumber
1. section; thin slice (for microscopic examination)
A thin slice of tissue, material, or specimen prepared for examination under a microscope. Standard terminology in biology, medicine, and materials science.
組織(そしき)の切片(せっぺん)を作(つく)る。
To prepare a tissue section.
凍結(とうけつ)切片(せっぺん)を顕微鏡(けんびきょう)で観察(かんさつ)した。
We observed the frozen section under a microscope.
病理(びょうり)検査(けんさ)のために腫瘍(しゅよう)の切片(せっぺん)を染色(せんしょく)して診断(しんだん)を行(おこな)った。
For the pathological examination, the tumor section was stained and a diagnosis was made.
2. intercept (in mathematics)
The point where a line or curve crosses an axis on a graph. In the equation y = mx + b, the value b is the y-intercept.
y切片(せっぺん)を求(もと)めなさい。
Find the y-intercept.
この直線(ちょくせん)のy切片(せっぺん)は3である。
The y-intercept of this line is 3.
一次関数(いちじかんすう)のグラフでは、傾(かたむ)きと切片(せっぺん)が分(わ)かれば直線(ちょくせん)を描(えが)くことができる。
In a linear function's graph, you can draw the line if you know the slope and the intercept.

Compound of 切(せつ) ('cut') and 片(へん) ('piece; fragment'). The word covers two distinct technical domains: biology/medicine (thin slices for microscopy) and mathematics (axis intercepts).

Usage

In biology and medicine (sense 1), 切片(せっぺん) refers specifically to prepared specimens. The process of making sections is called 切片(せっぺん)作製(さくせい). In mathematics (sense 2), 切片(せっぺん) usually appears with an axis label: y切片(せっぺん) or x切片(せっぺん).

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 断片(だんぺん): fragment — a piece broken off from something; not prepared or sliced intentionally
  • 断面(だんめん): cross-section — the surface revealed when something is cut through; focuses on the exposed surface rather than the slice itself
  • 標本(ひょうほん): specimen — a broader term for any sample prepared for study

Related Words

Compare: 断片(だんぺん) (fragment)
Compare: 断面(だんめん) (cross-section)
Compare: 標本(ひょうほん) (specimen)
general
Added 2026.4.20 18:14 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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