fascicle
noun·/ˈfæs.ɪ.kəl/
1. A small bundle or cluster, especially anatomical fibers like those in a nerve, or a tight grouping of flowers or leaves.
Under magnification the nerve resolved into fascicles, each a cord of smaller threads bound into purpose.
2. A separately issued installment of a book or scholarly work, published as a discrete section before the complete volume.
The dictionary arrived in fascicles, each slim booklet a promise of the larger edifice to come.
Etymology
From Latin fasciculus "little bundle," diminutive of fascis "bundle." The word has traveled from rods and reeds into nerves, petals, and pages.
Related Words
tractin anatomy, the larger structure fascicles compose
installmentin publishing, the closest modern equivalent
fascisthe larger "bundle" at the word's root
fasciculatearranged in bundles; botanical and anatomical use