cross section

Universal Words noun 1 [C,U] what you see when you cut through the middle of sth so that you can see the different layers it is made of; a drawing of this view: a diagram representing a cross section of the human eye * the human eye in cross section 2 [C,usually sing.] a group of people or things that are typical of a larger group: a representative cross section of society * a wide cross section of the population * a broad cross section of opinion