The answer is that you are measuring "resistance".
If the segment is DE-energized, which means the entire device is shut down, at that point the main thing you can quantify with the meter- probes on the two ends of the segment is its resistance. The ordinary meter measures volts, amps, and ohms. If you touch
the probes to the two ends of the part and the circuit is empowered, at that point you measure the voltage over the component. If the circuit is DE-energized, at that point you are measuring the component's resistance.