piecewise: Meaning and Definition of

piece•wise

Pronunciation: (pēs'wīz"), [key]
— adv. Math.
  1. denoting that a function has a specified property, as smoothness or continuity, on each of a finite number of pieces into which its domain is divided: a piecewise continuous function; a piecewise differentiable curve.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.