DIVISION


Meaning of DIVISION in English

də̇ˈvizhən noun

( -s )

Etymology: Middle English devisioun, from Middle French division, from Latin division-, divisio, from divisus (past participle of dividere to divide) + -ion-, -io -ion — more at divide

1.

a. : the act, process, or an instance of dividing into parts or portions : partition

made a division of his empire

division of the day into hours, minutes, seconds

: the state of being divided

remarked on the peculiar geographic division of the state

b. : the act, process, or an instance of dividing or distributing among a number : distribution , apportionment

protested his method of division of the profits

c. obsolete : arrangement , disposition

never set a squadron in the field, nor the division of a battle knows — Shakespeare

2. : one of the parts, sections, or groupings into which a whole is divided

3.

a. : the elementary organic unit of combined arms that is tactically and administratively a self-contained unit capable of independent action

b. : a military unit made up normally of five battle groups

c.

(1) : one of the groups usually of four ships into which a fleet or large squadron is divided

(2) : the basic unit of men for administration aboard ship and ashore

d. : a tactical subdivision of a squadron of ships or aircraft

4. obsolete : a portion of land allotted to an individual settler or to a group of settlers

5. : a definite portion of a nation, state, county, or other political unit marked off for administrative, judicial, or other purposes: as

a. : an election district in Great Britain

b. : a subdivision of a province or presidency in British India

6. : a segment of a transportation system (as a railroad, truckline, pipeline, or airline) designated by management as a semi-independent or autonomous operating unit

7. : a group of organisms forming part of some larger group ; specifically : a major primary category of the plant kingdom — compare phylum 2

8.

a. : a subordinate administrative unit of the executive department of the United States government usually ranking below a bureau

b. : a subordinate unit of state and local government

9. : a competitive class or category (as in boxing and wrestling) based on age, weight, skill, or other standard of eligibility

10. : a major administrative unit in an education institution of organization usually embracing several departments

the division of modern languages

11. : a major administrative unit of an industrial enterprise comprising at least several departments or constituting a complete integrated unit for a specific purpose

the radio division of an aviation corporation

12.

a. : something that divides, separates, or marks off

the divisions of the compass mark off its 32 points

: a dividing line

b. : the act, process, or an instance of separating or keeping apart (two objects or individuals)

used a screen to complete the division of the dining room from the kitchen

: the state of being separated : separation

the lovers mourned their hopeless division

13. : the condition or an instance of being divided in opinion or interest : disagreement , disunity

attempted to exploit the divisions between the two countries

14. : the process of finding how many times one number or quantity is contained in another

15. : the separation of a genus into its constituent species — compare fallacy of division , tree of porphyry

16.

a. : a florid instrumental variation upon a given melody of 17th and 18th century England

b. : a melismatic song or phrase of the 17th and 18th centuries

17. : a numerical determination of those members of a deliberative body that are for a motion and those who are against it either by a rising vote or by a physical separation into two groups

a division was being taken

the results of the division

the motion passed without a division — T.B.Macaulay

18. : the practice or an instance of dividing words or word elements in writing or printing by the use of a hyphen

19. : the apportionment of revenue among carrier participants sharing interline traffic : the distribution of revenue or expense among various parts of a system or organization

20. : plant propagation by dividing parts (as of a crown or a clump of suckers or tubers) and planting segments capable of producing roots and shoots

Synonyms: see part

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.